When Sneha Mehta found herself caught up in the attacks which rocked the Belgian city of Brussels last week, the 28-year-old mother-to-be and her husband Sameep feared they wouldn't live to see the birth of their child.
Thankfully however, the couple, who had landed in Brussels following a trip to Dubai, managed to escape the chaos of the airport's terminal building and made their way to hospital where they learned that their 16-week-old foetus was healthy and unharmed.
Acutely aware how close she, her husband and their unborn child came to death, Sneha told CNN that she has since penned a letter to her baby reminding the child that despite the atrocities which are occurring with alarming regularity across the globe, life has much to offer.
Planning to give the letter to her child on its 16th birthday, Sneha began: "Hi sweetheart. I don't know if we already acknowledged this with you in person, but when you were 16 weeks old, mum and dad were at an explosion at Brussels Airport."
"And no matter where humanity is today, I just want to tell you that life is a wonderful thing, and the world is really full of remarkable people," she continued. "You didn't just give mum and dad faith and reason to live, you gave us the awareness and presence of mind like never before."
"I felt more alive than I ever have, and I knew I had to protect you, so I was calm, composed and fully aware that we will survive. When we reached Sint-Augustinas (hospital) emergency, and we saw you oblivious and sucking at your thumb at the ultrasound, and doing your general acrobatics, all the mistrust, hate and angst for the terrorist attack vaporised."
Turning her attention to the future, Sneha told her child: "I do hope with all my heart that you are born into a better world, and if not, then you do absolute best to make it that. You are absolutely precious to us, and have already been a hero today. I guess much of the world,and has sent so much love your way."
Concluding the heartwrenching letter with a declaration of love for the child she has yet to meet, Smeha told her unborn child: "May you always be brave and healthy. We love you beyond words. Mum and Dad."
We don't know about you, but this has brought us to tears.
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