Originally from Cleveland, Krysta Davis and Dereck Lovett welcomed their daughter Rylei Arcadia on Christmas Eve. The time they spent with their daughter was too brief, but extremely inspiring.
In January 2019, when Krysta was only 18 weeks pregnant, she and her partner learned terrible news. Their baby suffered from anencephaly, a severe birth defect in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull. At birth, babies with this disease usually only live for a few moments.
The doctors then explained to the couple that they could choose the IMG by inducing labor and giving birth right away or continue the pregnancy and donate their baby’s organs to other children awaiting transplants. So Krysta and Dereck had to make a choice, and it was on Christmas Eve that the mom gave birth to a baby girl named Rylei Arcadia Diane Lovett.
In a post shared on the Facebook page the parents created for their daughter, Krysta said: “At 5:04 pm we welcomed this beautiful little girl into the world. Rylei Arcadia Diane Lovett is 48 cm tall for 2.7 kg. She amazed me from the moment I saw her little face. I am so in love with my daughter and I am so grateful to everyone who shared this day with her. I’m so happy to point out that she defied the odds by breathing on her own for almost 9 hours. I love him so much. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers. She’s so perfect. ”
Moments of happiness
Loving parents made the most of every moment they spent with their baby who was only supposed to live 30 minutes but spent a week on earth.
“There’s no way to describe how amazing it was. When you think that you will only spend 30 minutes with your child and that you will have a whole week ”, the mom told ABC News.
On December 31, Krysta spoke once again on her Facebook page: “For 9 months I carried this beautiful soul while her father, our friends, family and I filled her with love as she grew up. I never imagined, after she was diagnosed with anencephaly, that she would offer us a week of her presence. A week of smiles and noises of protest and hugs. ”
She adds that she “would not trade this week for anything in the whole world”, then addresses his little girl: “I’m so proud of you and the fight you fought. You inspired so many people with your story and your bravery. I love you so much more than you can imagine, little frog. I miss you already, so much, but I know that you are happy and that you will change the life of a lovely baby. Mom and dad love you very much. Rest in peace, my beautiful little girl “.
An inspiring gesture
In the end, Rylei became a heroine to other newborns, donating two heart valves. His lungs were also donated for research and development against anencephaly.
Krysta and Dereck hope Rylei’s story raises awareness about organ donation and anencephaly. “I hope other parents whose children have received a similar diagnosis will find strength and comfort in knowing that they are not alone”, says mom. “It’s so easy to prepare for a baby, but it’s very difficult to prepare not to bring it home. I hope more mothers are considering organ donation like me, so that other parents have the chance to bring their children home. ”