Hearing the news of a sudden, untimely death is always shocking. But the news about Anna Nicole Smith’s death really affected me. Not only because she is a celebrity, but because she died literally 5 minutes from my house. She was at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and then brought to the Memorial Regional Hospital, which by the way, is where I gave birth to my son a year and a half ago (and was actually born there myself 30 years ago). In addition, I pass the Broward County Medical Examiner, where her autopsy will be performed tomorrow, every time I go to the grocery store. No pun intended, this hits close to home.

Not only the proximity of her death, but the fact that Anna Nicole Smith was a mother, makes me particularly curious and interested. The tragic death of her son only five months ago came so suddenly and under similar circumstances, it seems. Both him and his mom were found in an unconscious state, unable to be resuscitated. Speculations are that Anna Nicole’s death is either one of three things: viral pneumonia, drug overdose, or a generic heart condition that also played a part in her son’s death.

What upsets me most about this sad story though, is that her baby girl, Dannielynn Hope (who happens to be the subject of a paternity battle) is now left without a mother. I wonder where Dannielynn was while her mom was at the Hard Rock? Who is watching her? What will happen to her now?

When my son was five months old, he was just starting to sit up unassisted. He was a big chunkball of love and drool and giggles with so much trust in his eyes and so much yet to come. I feel so sad that Anna Nicole Smith will never get to experience those beautiful milestones and watching her baby girl grow.