--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My son John was just under a year old…" description: "\"My son John was just under a year old when I collapsed with a life-threatening kidney disease. The shame and guilt resulting from my unplanned pregnanc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/mary-manin-morrissey-33046_body_my-son-john-was-just-under-a-year-old-wh_3226337.jpg" --- # My son John was just under a year old when I collapsed… ![“My son John was just under a year old when I collapsed with a life-threatening kidney disease. The shame and guilt resulting from my unplanned pregnancy had continued to fester to the point that my toxic feelings literally poisoned my body.” quote by Mary Manin Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/mary-manin-morrissey-33046_body_my-son-john-was-just-under-a-year-old-wh_3226337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/mary-manin-morrissey-33046_body_my-son-john-was-just-under-a-year-old-wh_3226337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec5/mary-manin-morrissey-33046_body_my-son-john-was-just-under-a-year-old-wh_3226337.jpg) > “My son John was just under a year old when I collapsed with a life-threatening kidney disease. The shame and guilt resulting from my unplanned pregnancy had continued to fester to the point that my toxic feelings literally poisoned my body.” [Mary Manin Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-manin-morrissey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal trauma can be amplified by unresolved shame, leading to physical harm. **In simple terms:** Shame can poison health. Key Takeaway Address emotional wounds promptly. Themes mental health family trauma self‑care Mood empathetic hopeful Type personal motivational When to use this quote - parenting - health crises - therapy - support groups Key Concepts psychosomatic illness guilt unplanned pregnancy Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to release shame? - How does emotional health affect physical health? A Different Perspective Healing requires confronting painful emotions, which can be daunting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Kidney disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidney-disease/) [Life-threatening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-threatening/) [Pregnancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pregnancy/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Resulting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resulting/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Shame and guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame-and-guilt/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Unplanned pregnancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unplanned-pregnancy/) ## Related quotes > [Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy that happens in this broken world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/adoption-is-a-redemptive-response-to-tragedy-that-happens-in-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was an unplanned pregnancy between two teenagers in Reading, Pennsylvania, and they ended up getting married. 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But because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-rice/a-month-after-the-scandal-broke-i-tried-to-go-back-to-work-at-the/) Donna Rice > [The hazing experience and then the subsequent participation in the group forces its members to maintain the status quo and traditions at all costs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/the-hazing-experience-and-then-the-subsequent-participation-in-the/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [It is a very bad idea for governments to create arbitrary and unfair outcomes, or outcomes resulting from the passions and whims of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/it-is-a-very-bad-idea-for-governments-to-create-arbitrary-and-unfair/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [Unlike running on a road or concrete, natural surfaces are more forgiving and offer a more varied terrain, ultimately resulting in less repetitive micro-trauma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/unlike-running-on-a-road-or-concrete-natural-surfaces-are-more/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) ## More by Mary Manin Morrissey > [Put love first. Entertain thoughts that give life. And when a thought or resentment, or hurt, or fear comes your way, have another thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-manin-morrissey/put-love-first-entertain-thoughts-that-give-life-and-when-a-thought/) [Mary Manin Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-manin-morrissey/) > [“Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-manin-morrissey/start-living-now-stop-saving-the-good-china-for-that-special-occasion/) [Mary Manin Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-manin-morrissey/) > [We are all created in the image of our Creator - Love itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-manin-morrissey/we-are-all-created-in-the-image-of-our-creator-love-itself/) [Mary Manin Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-manin-morrissey/) > [Start living now. 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