COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Just about anywhere little Aidan Gatson goes, you'll find his mom just a few steps behind him. And his dad is typically an arm's reach away.
Of course, all of you know Aidan's mom pretty well. After all, she's probably one of the reasons why you watch our newscasts or read our website. It's Judi Gatson.
Judi's journey in life has been a long and winding road, but it's a life she would not trade for anything.
Patience is a theme in the Gatsons' lives and the principle first came into play on their first date.
"Dwayne invited me to lunch," said Judi. "Some people may be surprised to know, I was running a little bit late."
"Four hours late," Dwayne interjected.
"I got there around 4 o'clock in the afternoon," continued Judi. "A little late."
It turns out patience is Dwayne's strong suit and the young Army captain proposed to the Georgia Tech student.
"We always wanted to have a family," said Dwayne. "The biggest challenge was talking Judi down from seven to 10 children."
And it took some patience to get started on that dream.
"We have been trying for a while and when we finally got pregnant, we were so excited," said Judi.
It was 2005, and the two were commuting back and forth as Dwayne worked at the Pentagon in Washington DC. Judi was climbing the ranks at WIS alongside her close friend and former anchor, Kara Gormley. Turns out the two had more in common than on-camera talent.
"I called her up and I said, ‘Judi, I'm pregnant, you're not going to believe this.' She said, ‘Girl, what?' I said, ‘I'm pregnant," said Kara.
"She said, ‘You're not going to believe this, I'm pregnant too!' I couldn't believe it, just floored and she hadn't told anybody yet."
The secret started getting tough to keep and about 5 ½ months in, the two friends went public to tell WIS viewers about the bundles of joy the pair would be delivering soon.
"These two women at WIS are going to have these beautiful babies in a matter of months and it could even be in the same week, the same day, and then things changed," said Kara.
"It's one of those things you sense in your spirit before you realize it because I was talking, but everybody in the room, the doctor, the assistant, they were quiet; they were silent. And I'm like why aren't they talking? Why aren't they saying anything?" said Judi.
The room was silent because of what they did not hear: Baby Deuce Gatson no longer had a heartbeat.
"Dr. Hannah was heartbroken, the whole nursing staff, everybody," said Judi.
"There was nothing wrong with him, not one thing. Just a kink in the cord," said Dwayne.
Judi still had to deliver. The next day, she was induced and Deuce Gatson made a brief, but powerful appearance into this world and a chaplain joined them in prayer.
"She said, ‘I know right now it may feel awkward to take pictures of him, but trust me you will want them," said Judi. "And she was right."
After a funeral in Atlanta, Judi packed her bags and went to Washington DC to mourn with her husband. It was almost a one-way trip.
"It just felt like, My God, I can never go back on the air, I can never face everybody in South Carolina again. I just cannot deal with it in such a public way," said Judi.
So Judi did what many grievers do, she tried to do it in private. She tried to do it alone. She spent day after day in tears, printing and re-printing photos of her baby at a local CVS.
"Through reading the Bible, reading scriptures and just trying to gain some understanding, I realized that was exactly what God did not want me to do was to put it away in a box," said Judi. "He wanted me to just pour it out and share it with others as a way to comfort them."
What also helped was the comfort Judi got from the people she was afraid to face. She says WIS viewers sent hundreds of cards and prayers she'll never be able to count.
"Going through it in such a public way really ended up being a blessing," said Judi.
"And it became a testimony," added Dwayne. "You're able to touch others and they can feel the empathy."
It was the new mission that made the Gatsons decide they would return to South Carolina.
"I still was reluctant to come back because Kara was pregnant so I didn't want the sadness of our loss to overshadow the joy she was experiencing, so we had to struggle with that."
"That's Judi, always thinking about other people before herself, even in such a tragic time and, you know, that just describes the type of person that she is," said Kara.
After Kara gave birth to her first son, Dalton, Judi came back to work. And the woman who shares stories for a living had a new one to tell.
"There are no shortcuts in grief," said Judi. "You have to stand in it, you have to own it, and allow yourself to work through those emotions. Then you can move forward, one step at a time."
These days, moving forward has a new face in Aidan Gatson. Last year, Judi and Dwayne adopted him.
"You look at him, you can see not only us, but you can see our first child," said Dwayne. "If you've ever seen Deuce, they look alike."
"She deserves the happy ending and it doesn't get any happier than that family," said Kara.
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