A while back we told you the inspiring story of Shane, a baby boy diagnosed with anencephaly, a terminal neural tube defect, early in pregnancy. His parents, devastated by this news, decided to make his in-utero life amazing, and created a nine-month bucket list for their unborn son. Sadly, just hours after Baby Shane was born yesterday, he passed away in his mother's arms.
I cannot imagine the trauma and the sadness that surrounds the mother and father who took devastating news and turned it into a celebration of a life that would only be lived in his mother's womb.
Throughout the pregnancy, Jenna and Dan Haley took their son's bucket list seriously. They took him everywhere they loved, from Central Park to a Phillies baseball game to a Zac Brown concert. On every stop they made, with precious son safely in his mom's belly, they snapped photos, smiled as if he were happy in their arms, and celebrated his every adventure on their Facebook page.
Photo credit: Facebook/Prayers for Shane
As thousands followed this little guy's adventures, and the love and heartfelt pride in his parents' eyes as he explored the world from within, we fell in love, prayed for a miracle and watched with anticipation for his next bucket list accomplishment.
Shane Haley was born at 2:25 a.m. Oct. 9 to proud parents who completed the list before his birth. He died at 6:15 a.m.
"Most families wait until their baby is born to start making memories and traveling to places with them," Dan said. "We understood what it was and knew that our time with our son could be very limited, so we wanted to make the most of the time that we had with him."
I don't know if I could have done what this family did after receiving such devastating news. But by turning tragedy into an inspiring story, they taught us all that life is precious and meant to be lived every day. No matter the outcome.
Photo credit: Shawn Gearhart/Getty Images