• Loving Annabelle: A Baylor family’s heartbreaking, yet inspiring journey

    Annabelle Marie Roos

    Warning: You’re going to need Kleenex for this one.

    Almost exactly a year ago, we wrote about Baylor alumna Tricia Roos, BBA ’04, being named TAPPS 5A Female Coach of the Year — the top honor for any female coach from the state’s largest private schools. She had recently learned she and her husband, Jonas (BBA ’05) were expecting a second child — a girl they would name Annabelle.

    Just a month after that story — three months into Tricia’s pregnancy — the Roos family received devastating news. Annabelle was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a rare genetic disorder that generally leads to miscarriage or stillbirth. Of the few who are born alive, fewer than 10% make it to their first birthday.

    Her doctors advised ending the pregnancy, but the Roos family chose to give Annabelle a fighting chance. Amazingly, through it all, Tricia continued her job coaching the Bishop Lynch High School volleyball team. Her story inspired her team, and she in turn found inspiration in them.

    “Why would I back down from a challenge, when every day I ask these girls to step up to challenges?” she said. “I’ve been saying that for years, and that’s always been the way that I coach. Now that God is actually putting a challenge in front of me in a different way, I felt like this was my opportunity to say yes to the challenge instead of backing down and saying no.”

    “She’s been their mentor,” said one player’s mother. “She has taught them that there is so much more than life on the court. They’re going to face difficult decisions in their lives. She’s setting an example on how to make the right choices and lean on your faith. I know [my daughter] is going to walk away from Bishop Lynch as a stronger Christian and a stronger player.”

    In November, the team won its third straight state title. Two months later, Annabelle was born, weighing less than 4 pounds. Tricia, Jonas and Annabelle’s 3-year-old brother, Cameron, got just shy of a full week with her before she took her last breath.

    I can’t do true justice to the power of the Roos family’s story in just a couple hundred words. Thankfully, Texas Catholic newspaper put together this tremendous feature and this moving featurette to share story; they truly convey the inspiring love Annabelle brought to the Roos family and their community.

    Sic ’em, Roos family, for sharing your powerful story!

    [We learned of Annabelle’s story from a Bear who shared her Baylor pride. Do you know of an inspiring story, news item, or just a fun link that makes you proud of Baylor and the Baylor family? Let us know! Click here to submit your point of pride!]

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