The MTV reality-show family who made a courageous choice....
The third season of MTV's reality show "Run's House," which begins April 9, will feature a poignant episode.Rev. Run Simmons, 42, was a founding member and lead vocalist of the '80s rap group Run-DMC and is now a preacher. He and his wife of 12 years, Justine, 43, are parents to five children, ages 10-23. The oldest three are from Run's first marriage.
The reality show centers around family life at their New Jersey home. The cliffhanger ending of season two was Justine's announcement to Rev. Run as cameras rolled that she was pregnant, and their subsequent announcement together to their children through a guessing game of charades.
What viewers will learn in season three is the baby, born Sept. 26, 2006, and named Victoria Anne, died two hours after she was born....
They will also learn Run and Justine were told midway through her pregnancy the baby had a birth defect, omphalocele, which causes abdominal organs to grow outside the body.The Simmonses opted not to abort. They also opted not to tell their children before delivery so that real responses and emotions would be filmed.
So viewers will see the Simmons children being brought into the hospital room and told on camera by Justine that their sister has died.....
Finish reading my column today, "Stanek 4-4 column: "Run didn't run to abortion," at WorldNetDaily.com.
Comments:
Thanks! Here's another story that would have been missed in the morass of the salacious news we seem to endure on a daily basis just to get the weather forecast and box scores.
This is not just a great real story about a family, it’s a real story that directly affects the African American community, which has unwittingly been a target of the abortion industry since Margret Sanger founded Planned Parenthood.
It’s a real story that transcends all racial boundaries about a family staying together and looking to each other and their faith in a time of significant emotional crisis. It’s a real story about a family with a Mom & a DAD; a DAD not afraid to express his faith and identify the source of his emotional strength!
It is a message of hope!
Posted by: Mark K. at April 4, 2007 9:03 AMAs the Scripture says, "All things work together for good for those who love God." Hopefully the pro-life message from Rev. Run's life will reach certain people who watch MTV.
Posted by: Clay at April 4, 2007 9:07 AMRun,You and your wife are very special people.Thank you for showing us that abortion isn't the answer.God blessed you with a beautiful family.
Posted by: momof3 at April 4, 2007 10:51 AMAbout 50 years ago, a baby was born in Eastern Oregon with this same birth defect.
I don’t know how severe it was in relation to Victoria Anne, but the doctors at the time simply pushed the internal organs into the abdominal cavity and sutured the opening so that the body would be more presentable at the baby’s funeral.
Although the technology of the day probably wouldn’t have predicted the birth defect, I believe that baby’s parents would have made the same decision as the Runs if they had known.
The baby was a lovely 17-year-old young lady when I met her years later. Certainly a miracle like this will not happen in every case, but how quickly our culture will write off the defective or handicapped without even giving them a chance at life.
Rev. Run and Justine are to be commended for their courage and faith; they gave their daughter a chance to live. Though Victoria Anne died, she and her parents made a powerful statement that every human life has value.
Thank you for reporting this encouraging story. Everyone needs to hear more about those who meet adversity with faith and courage.
Posted by: Ken M. at April 4, 2007 1:55 PM"The baby was a lovely 17-year-old young lady when I met her years later. Certainly a miracle like this will not happen in every case, but how quickly our culture will write off the defective or handicapped without even giving them a chance at life."
Beautifully said!
Thank you!