She’s watching over her!
A mother of a model who passed away sees her late daughter in a Delta ad at the airport, Blavity reports.
Egli Colon Stephens, also known as Mama E, is the mother of model Natalia Harris. Harris passed away last year at the age of 24 after being diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer called renal medullary carcinoma. At 12 years old, Harris was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. She had to learn how to walk again and received several rounds of chemotherapy with three reconstructive leg surgeries.
Harris used her struggles to motivate her, dubbing herself the “bionic woman” after receiving a titanium prosthetic.
During her time on earth, Harris had a thriving career, appearing on the cover of Vogue Knitting, on the hit television show Project Runway, and participating in New York Fashion Week. She also co-authored a book with her mother entitled Unbroken: A Mother-Daughter Journey of Resilience, Faith, and Courage, chronicling their fight against cancer. On May 6, 2020, Harris passed away surrounded by her loved ones. Since then, Mama E has spent every day holding the memory of her beloved daughter in her heart.
“I used to tell her, ‘Wow, when I grow up, I want to be like you. She was so composed, so gentle. One of the things I recall vividly is a friend of the family said this world needs more Natalias. She was so compassionate,” Stephens recalled.
Recently, her mother decided to take a trip, the first since her daughter’s passing during the middle of a pandemic. When she got into the airport, she ran into a Delta ad featuring her daughter, the campaign poster reading “This Is What See You Soon Looks Like.” Stephens shared the heartwarming moment on social media.
“First time flying, since my baby @iamnataliaharris transitioned. Just when I thought I was not going to see her ad from her @delta campaign, there she was. BOOM! Two posters on the corridor, right before boarding the plane. This ‘SEE YOU SOON’ means more now than ever. I can’t wait to hold her in my arms and never, ever let her go,” she wrote.
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But the signs didn’t stop there. On her return flight from Florida to New York City, she saw the ad again, writing, “Well, Mama E. thought her last post was a wrap, but baby girl @iamnataliaharris had different plans. Look who was ready to welcome us again before boarding the plane to come back home after our long getaway.” The caption accompanied a picture of her as she lovingly touched her daughter’s face. Delta officials saw Stephens’ post and sent her a framed photo of the advertisement along with a touching note.
“All these signs and the message, ‘See you soon,’ it brings me peace. It makes me realize we think we are here for so long, and in reality, it is just a breath. She gives me the strength. I know she is with me through the many signs…I thought I had stopped being a mom [when I lost my only child], but I realized I am always going to be a mom; I am just mothering in another realm,” said Stephens.
She added that she was in deep gratitude for the signs and for being able to see her daughter’s ad, saying, “The veil between this realm and the next is so thin my gentle souls. Thank you, Jesus, for your many signs and wonders. I’m grateful.”
Stephens is committed to preserving her daughter’s legacy and spreading her message of hope to anyone battling cancer.
“Our Natalia lived with purpose and intention. In her own gentle way, Natalia reminds me of Frank Sinatra’s song ‘I did it my way.’ She lived fully and in her short life, shifted and touched so many others. She leaves a strong legacy behind,” she said in a statement.
Sending love to you, Mama E.
Photo Courtesy of @IAmNataliasMom/Instagram