Tre's Story

Gregory (Tre') Stargell III 
(11.11.09 ~ 02.12.10)

On May 5, 2009, I was both shocked and elated to learn that I was pregnant. From the moment of discovery, I wanted and loved my baby even though I was scared of the unknown. My husband and I agreed not to tell anyone until we learned more information about our pregnancy and completed our initial prenatal appointment. We went to a Cinco De Mayo Salsa Celebration with friends, and I was blatantly asked if I was pregnant. There was no denying my child or the fact that I was, so the secret was short lived. A week later we went to our initial visit. Come to find out I was already in my second trimester and had no clue. My husband and I thought we were being punked as we watched our baby move around in my belly. We expected to see something more like a tadpole, but he was more human and real than ever. We just knew he was a boy, and it was confirmed on the gender ultra sound a few weeks later. Even in the womb, Tre’ had an ear for music. My husband and I met salsa dancing, and we danced and taught salsa until I was eight months pregnant. When a song Tre’ liked came on you could see him migrate across my belly towards the music. When I kicked he kicked and when I moved he moved. Every day I put earphones on my belly and watched him dance to classical, jazz, R & B, latin, gospel, and more. I played all types of music and he moved to it all. He was having so much fun in my womb that he wasn’t thinking about coming out. Tre’ was a week overdue when I went to the hospital for an induction. After 24.5 hours of labor, Gregory Stargell III (Tre’) was born on November 11, 2009. He was such a cool little guy and mellow like his dad. My husband and I would often play music and dance with him for entertainment and soothing. He would sit in his swing and watch us practice salsa as I tried to get back into shape. My husband and I would waltz with him around the kitchen as he would coo with delight. We knew he would be a great dancer and musician. We knew he was born for greatness.

Then on February 12, 2010, tragedy struck. Two weeks after I had returned to work from family medical leave, I received the dreaded call that Tre’ had laid down for a nap and wasn’t breathing. My husband found him in his crib unresponsive. We rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. My life changed forever. For the next year, I spent time trying to learn how to live and function again without my son. I stopped dancing all together. I found myself merely existing and my health deteriorating. Then I had the epiphany that if my son had my DNA, he would want me to continue to live as if his life had just begun not ended. I decided I would do everything I could to make God and Tre’ proud. I quit my job and became a stay at home wife. I decided to start teaching Zumba as a means to get back in shape and start dancing again. I hate working out so I knew the only way for me to be consistent was to teach something. I went through Zumba instructor training July 2010. Though I was determined, I could barely get through one song. I put the certification away and didn’t think about teaching again until January 2011. I received my first teaching opportunity at Alabama A & M University Health and Wellness Center. Thanks to the help and support from other instructors, family, and friends, the teaching opportunities started rolling in. I taught my first full class at Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center Jones Valley on the anniversary of Tre’s death February 12, 2011. Even though my heart is still heavy from losing my son, his memory still lives on in me. Each time I dance or teach a Zumba class, I know Tre’ is smiling and dancing with me. Losing a child is not something you ever get over. It is something you learn to live through. Each day I live, love, dance, and pray. I am thankful for Tre’ and the time I had to spend with him on earth. I hope my life continues to uplift and inspire others, the same way his life inspires and uplifts me.