Pregnant teacher who survived Moore tornado names newborn son after favorite student who died despite her desperate attempts to save him
- Jennifer Doan lost seven students in her third-grade class when a tornado hit their school last May in Moore, Oklahoma
- She was eight weeks pregnant at the time
- Nine-year-old Nicolas McCabe was one of the students she was holding onto that didn't survive
- When she gave birth to a boy late last month, she named him after Nicolas
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Third-grade teacher Jennifer Doan lost seven students in her class the day an EF5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma last May, completely destroying the storm shelter-less Plaza Heights Elementary School.
The 31-year-old was eight months pregnant when she was pulled from the rubble of the destroyed school, and at the time she figured the trauma would cause her to lose her child.
But on December 21, Doan and her husband Nyle Rodgers welcomed a new son into the world and chose to name him after one of her students that didn't survive.
Namesake: Jennifer Doan (left) was eight weeks pregnant when she survived a tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma last May. She gave birth to her son last month and named him after one of the students she lost when the school collapsed - 9-year-old Nicholas McCabe (right)
When the tornado got closer, Doan grabbed as many of her students as possible to huddle together.
While the other students continued to squirm and talk, 9-year-old Nicholas McCabe became exceptionally still when Doan put her hand on him.
'He was the one closest to me that didn't make it,' she told NewsOK. I had my hand on him. He's been a little hard to let go.'
Nicolas was one of seven children who died after being crushed by a water line.
Doan and her husband chose to memorialize Nicolas by giving their new son jack the middle name of Nicolas.
Nicolas's mother Stacey McCabe was touched by the namesake for her son who loved going to the lake, playing with legos and listening to country music.
Rescued: In a now famous image, Doan was rescued from the rubble of Plaza Towers elementary school when she was already eight week pregnant
The old Plaza Towers elementary school was completely destroyed in the tornado and didn't have any storm shelters. It is currently being rebuilt and the new school will have these protections
Eyes of the nation: President Obama speaks outside the rubble of Plaza Towers elementary school following the traumatic tornado
For Doan, she remembers Nicolas' smile the most.
New hope: Doan and her husband welcomed baby Jack late last month. She has two other daughters, 6 and 3
'He would get in trouble over some little thing and just flash me this big smile to get out of it. He just had one of those smiles,' she said.
After the tornado, Doan spent time in the hospital recovering from a broken back and sternum, strained neck, and lacerated tendons in her hand.
A psychologist recommended that she not be told which of her students had died for two days, and when she was finally informed her shrieks could be heard down the hallway.
She took no pain medication for her injuries since she didn't want to hurt her baby, and wore a back brace for six weeks while pregnant.
And she's still recovering from the
emotional injuries. Doan says she sees a psychologist once a week, and
is having a hard time dealing with her survivor's guilt, constantly
asking why she lived when innocent children died.
While baby Jack gives her new hope and a reason to go on, he's also a reminder of the trauma of that deadly day.
'Just looking at him, it reminds me of that day, and the ones that I did lose.'
But she does want to return to teaching at Plaza Towers, which is currently being rebuilt with storm shelters.
'There's a lot of me in Plaza Towers. I know it's going to be difficult. I'm hoping it will bring some peace and some healing.
Doan is also mother to two daughters, Kairi, 6, and Kylie, 3.
Back on the horse: Doan says she plans to go back to work once her doctors clear her. Above, another picture of baby Jack
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angelmom28 auckland, auckland, New Zealand, 1 hour ago
many spelling and grammar mistakes in that story