Hello Dungeon,
I have not been forthcoming about this news as not many of you have met me in real life and this place is more of a mental escape for me than anything, but here goes: my wife and I lost our 13 month daughter Anastasia a few weeks ago.
Anastasia had Down Syndrome and a heart defect and really had many health battles. She had expected/scheduled open heart surgery in early March that was successful and she did really well with. My wife and I thought she might be out of the weeds. A few weeks after her surgery, I was privileged to take her to a UCF baseball game with my wife and our older daughters ages 6 and 4. Ana was content, the weather was great, the Knights won, the big girls had a great time. I figured it would be the first of many UCF memories as a family of 5.
About 3 weeks later, Anastasia was hospitalized with a virus and ended up on a ventilator. We learned she had a longer term condition called pulmonary hypertension. This started a 30 day hospitalization which included getting off the vent, being moved from PICU to a general floor, getting close to discharge, aspirating, having to be revived after 8 minutes of CPR, back on the ventilator, and eventually recovering yet again and being able to come home. All the hope we had that she was set up for success for awhile post-heart surgery was gone. A week after the 30 day hospital stint, at the end of May, she had to go back and was back on the ventilator again. A new medication and discharge plan was put together after 23 days in the hospital and she was able to come home with us. As y’all might imagine, a lot of mom and dad splitting time at the hospital, grandparents and friends watching the kids, driving back and forth from where we reside in Tavares to APH, etc. Extremely difficult 2 month stretch for all of us.
After 53 out of 60 days in the hospital, we were blessed to have Anastasia home with us the last 4 weeks of her life before losing her at the hospital on a Friday night, July 19. While we knew she was super fragile and that this result was more likely, you never really see it coming, especially when it’s your kid. She looked a little pale, my wife took her to the local hospital and 15 minutes later, I’m getting the call no parent ever wants to get. It happened so fast.
The grief is what you might imagine it to be. A lot of times, it just doesn’t feel real. We have received overwhelming love and support from family, friends, and our church and we are doing better than I thought we would be doing, but we miss Anastasia greatly and I know we will for quite some time and I know the grief will continue to come in waves.
Losing my daughter changes a lot for us. Usually this time of year is the most exciting for me, as it is for a lot of you: the hope and anticipation of a UCF Football season. It’s been the annual thing I have gotten the most excited for since being a freshman back in 2007. While I have posted a thread or two recently and have replied in some other threads…the sorrow of grief is in the background of everything. For my own mental health, I know I’ll be at a lot of games with a good friend of mine that I split season tickets with because…it’s just what I’ve done for years now and even in grief, I know it’s good for me to keep doing it. However, the excitement is definitely subdued and I know I will carry an Ana shaped hole in my heart until we hopefully meet again with God.
I got to take Ana, my wife, and our older two daughters to a baseball game this spring which I’m grateful for. I’m saddened the 5 of us won’t ever get to be in the Bounce House together. I know want to take my wife and our other two daughters to a game together this Fall and let my buddy take another guest with our season ticket.
So the giveaway….I had bought a UCF onesie for Anastasia for the season that she never ended up getting to wear. Part of processing the grief…I would like to gift it to a UCF family that has a young daughter. It is an 18 month onesie, black with the UCF stacked logo. In my opinion, it’s the nicest UCF onesie that I’ve seen them sell (here is a link to see a preview
campuswardrobe.com
I would have offered it to friends but seems most of my closest ones either have baby boys or grown up girls.
Anyways, let me know if you fit the description (mom or dad of a 12-18 month old) and I would be happy to do a gift exchange at the home opener. I hope this wasn’t too many details but it does help me with processing my grief to be able to tell people a little bit about sweet Anastasia’s story.
-Eddie
I have not been forthcoming about this news as not many of you have met me in real life and this place is more of a mental escape for me than anything, but here goes: my wife and I lost our 13 month daughter Anastasia a few weeks ago.
Anastasia had Down Syndrome and a heart defect and really had many health battles. She had expected/scheduled open heart surgery in early March that was successful and she did really well with. My wife and I thought she might be out of the weeds. A few weeks after her surgery, I was privileged to take her to a UCF baseball game with my wife and our older daughters ages 6 and 4. Ana was content, the weather was great, the Knights won, the big girls had a great time. I figured it would be the first of many UCF memories as a family of 5.
About 3 weeks later, Anastasia was hospitalized with a virus and ended up on a ventilator. We learned she had a longer term condition called pulmonary hypertension. This started a 30 day hospitalization which included getting off the vent, being moved from PICU to a general floor, getting close to discharge, aspirating, having to be revived after 8 minutes of CPR, back on the ventilator, and eventually recovering yet again and being able to come home. All the hope we had that she was set up for success for awhile post-heart surgery was gone. A week after the 30 day hospital stint, at the end of May, she had to go back and was back on the ventilator again. A new medication and discharge plan was put together after 23 days in the hospital and she was able to come home with us. As y’all might imagine, a lot of mom and dad splitting time at the hospital, grandparents and friends watching the kids, driving back and forth from where we reside in Tavares to APH, etc. Extremely difficult 2 month stretch for all of us.
After 53 out of 60 days in the hospital, we were blessed to have Anastasia home with us the last 4 weeks of her life before losing her at the hospital on a Friday night, July 19. While we knew she was super fragile and that this result was more likely, you never really see it coming, especially when it’s your kid. She looked a little pale, my wife took her to the local hospital and 15 minutes later, I’m getting the call no parent ever wants to get. It happened so fast.
The grief is what you might imagine it to be. A lot of times, it just doesn’t feel real. We have received overwhelming love and support from family, friends, and our church and we are doing better than I thought we would be doing, but we miss Anastasia greatly and I know we will for quite some time and I know the grief will continue to come in waves.
Losing my daughter changes a lot for us. Usually this time of year is the most exciting for me, as it is for a lot of you: the hope and anticipation of a UCF Football season. It’s been the annual thing I have gotten the most excited for since being a freshman back in 2007. While I have posted a thread or two recently and have replied in some other threads…the sorrow of grief is in the background of everything. For my own mental health, I know I’ll be at a lot of games with a good friend of mine that I split season tickets with because…it’s just what I’ve done for years now and even in grief, I know it’s good for me to keep doing it. However, the excitement is definitely subdued and I know I will carry an Ana shaped hole in my heart until we hopefully meet again with God.
I got to take Ana, my wife, and our older two daughters to a baseball game this spring which I’m grateful for. I’m saddened the 5 of us won’t ever get to be in the Bounce House together. I know want to take my wife and our other two daughters to a game together this Fall and let my buddy take another guest with our season ticket.
So the giveaway….I had bought a UCF onesie for Anastasia for the season that she never ended up getting to wear. Part of processing the grief…I would like to gift it to a UCF family that has a young daughter. It is an 18 month onesie, black with the UCF stacked logo. In my opinion, it’s the nicest UCF onesie that I’ve seen them sell (here is a link to see a preview
UCF Knights Swirls Black Sleeveless Ruffle One Piece Jumpsuit Logo Bod
Officially licensed One Piece Jumpsuits for Infants and Toddlers from Vive La Fete. Free shipping. Order now!
campuswardrobe.com
I would have offered it to friends but seems most of my closest ones either have baby boys or grown up girls.
Anyways, let me know if you fit the description (mom or dad of a 12-18 month old) and I would be happy to do a gift exchange at the home opener. I hope this wasn’t too many details but it does help me with processing my grief to be able to tell people a little bit about sweet Anastasia’s story.
-Eddie
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