In 1982, I was pregnant with my second daughter. As any expecting mother I had pictured the baby in my head…she was to be named Emily and would have reddish hair!
She was born Friday the 13th of August. She was the cutest little thing to be seen. Her hair was more blond than red and she was also born with an hereditary syndrome. I am also affected by the Holt-Oram syndrome. Basically, our upper limbs are different ( shorter arms, no thumbs missing fingers and heart defect)
I was 22 and heart broken. I found life to be so unfair…I had very innocently thought that I had paid my “dues” to life and that my children wouldn’t’t have to suffer from it.
I had in those days been touched by the poetry of Harry Chapin . Corey is turning 16 tomorrow. As I first held her, I new she wasn’t an “Emily”. I also knew she was very special. As I held her , I started to sing to her “Corey’s coming” and I knew that had to be her name. Corey had just enfolded me in her world
We are French-speaking , so at the time my family had found it to be a very unusual name but there was no way I was going to change my mind. A few years back she asked me how I had come up with her name and I told her about the song, I no longer had the album. But I told her the story related in the song.
She was very touched . A few weeks ago, her uncle in Vancouver made her listen to the song. When she came back, she asked me to find her the album as a birthday present.
Thank you Harry. Your song will live on in Corey’s heart for a long time.
Please note: this story is the sole property of its author. Unauthorized use is prohibited without the author’s permission.