I've been following closely the story of a baby that was born just before Christmas this past year, well 10 days before Christmas to be exact. Her name Keelan.
She quickly started having problems after a full term pregnancy :\ (Even carrying to 40 weeks doesn't guarantee anything). After lots of tests and help in the NICU Keelan was diagnosed with Canavan Disorder, which meant there was no chance for her survival. Her parents were told to take her home to die.
However they asked for a second opinion. Which they found that Canavan Disorder was not the issue. Keelan spent much time in and out of hospitals. Everytime she came home we all hoped it would be for good, but relapses happened and she had to go back. She had lots of trouble swallowing and sucking so she spent time on feeding tubes and O2.
The last blow came early in June. They had done lots of tests on her to see how they "fix" her. Her latest MRI however showed it just couldn't be done. Her brain was shrinking and thats just something we haven't figured out how to stop yet. So her parents where told it was just a matter of time.
A week later they had thier final night with thier baby girl before she slipped away in an eternal sleep. She was almost 6 months old.
You can read her obituary here: Keelan Budds
I don't know why this story touches me more than so many of the others i've read and followed. I think it has alot to do with how there was so much hope that she would pull through and in the end it didn't matter. In the end the cards where already picked for her and her parents are just left to deal with the consequences. My heart broke each and every time she seemed to get worse and rejoiced everytime she got better. I had hoped one day baby Keelan would go home for good but as a happy healthy baby. My thoughts remain with her parents through this difficult time. Kaitlin and Keelan are sure to become fast friends.
However they asked for a second opinion. Which they found that Canavan Disorder was not the issue. Keelan spent much time in and out of hospitals. Everytime she came home we all hoped it would be for good, but relapses happened and she had to go back. She had lots of trouble swallowing and sucking so she spent time on feeding tubes and O2.
The last blow came early in June. They had done lots of tests on her to see how they "fix" her. Her latest MRI however showed it just couldn't be done. Her brain was shrinking and thats just something we haven't figured out how to stop yet. So her parents where told it was just a matter of time.
A week later they had thier final night with thier baby girl before she slipped away in an eternal sleep. She was almost 6 months old.
You can read her obituary here: Keelan Budds
I don't know why this story touches me more than so many of the others i've read and followed. I think it has alot to do with how there was so much hope that she would pull through and in the end it didn't matter. In the end the cards where already picked for her and her parents are just left to deal with the consequences. My heart broke each and every time she seemed to get worse and rejoiced everytime she got better. I had hoped one day baby Keelan would go home for good but as a happy healthy baby. My thoughts remain with her parents through this difficult time. Kaitlin and Keelan are sure to become fast friends.
