Video Message From Five Years Later

Summary

Eight months pregnant, my doctor warned my stress-related condition was worsening fast—I might have just five years left. Determined to leave something for my unborn daughter, I began recording video messages set five years in the future.

Midway through filming, a glitch froze the screen, then revealed my older self.

“Was the baby safe? Boy or girl? Does she look like me—or her father?” I asked, imagining her in a little princess dress. “Have you found someone who loves her? Call her my sweetheart. Watch her try on her wedding dress for me.”