The Philadelphia couple who were parents of the bucket list baby bid farewell to their baby boy last night. Doctors diagnosed Jenna and Dan Haley's unborn son Shane Michael Haley with anencephaly, a neural condition that doesn't allow the brain and skull to develop properly. Shane's life expectancy was cut short to only a few hours or a couple of days after birth. His parents decided to create a bucket list for Shane while he was still in his mother's womb. He visited the Empire State building and even met the Philadelphia Phillies. The newborn passed away yesterday morning at 2:25 a.m. His parent's reaction to the tragedy is so inspiring and yet heartbreaking.
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According to the CDC, 1 in every 4,859 babies in the United States are born with anencephaly in a year. I'm sure Shane's mom felt totally helpless in this case. There was literally nothing she could do to save her son. Creating the bucket list for Shane was their way of sharing experiences with him. It's so heartbreaking to think that Shane's life was cut so short.
Jenna and Dan shared the sad news on their Facebook fan page, which has over 800,000 likes. They wrote:
Today at 6:15AM, after meeting his entire family and being baptized into the Catholic faith, baby Shane died peacefully in his Mother's arms .. we are so grateful for the time that we were blessed to hold and hug our son .. the support and prayers we have received from all of you have been amazing and we want to thank each of you with all our hearts .. Shane spent his entire life in the arms of people that loved him unconditionally and I don't think you could ask for a more beautiful life than that .. he is home now with the Lord and will forever be our little miracle!
I admire the strength this couple has. It is amazing to witness their resilience and love through all of this painful tragedy. Shane was a little angel who didn't just change his parents' lives, but his story has hit home for all of us. Life is cut short for so many. I hope his little spirit is resting in peace. Jenna will remember this heartbreaking moment for the rest of her life. I'm glad they have some amazing memories to cherish forever.
Images via Prayers for Shane/Facebook
