Generose Jane Mesina and her husband waited six years before they were blessed with a child. Now, their beloved Christian Angelo was diagnosed with VACTERL—a disorder that affects the various systems of the body. They shared their story with theAsianparent.
They were hoping for a miracle
In a Facebook post, Christian Angelo's mother shared how Christian Angelo was a very special baby. After waiting 6 years, she finally got pregnant on November of last year. All seemed to be going well, until she noticed that her belly had been growing faster than normal.
When she was 5 months pregnant, she looked like she was already full term. She found out later on that she had polyhydramnios, a condition wherein there was too much amniotic fluid in her womb because her child was unable to swallow.
On her 7th month of pregnancy, she underwent a congenital anomaly scan, and that's when her OB/GYN found out that her baby had short femurs, which are the bones in the legs, and that the baby's esophagus wasn't connected.
She shares, "Sobrang heart breaking ang news na yun. Dahil lahat ng pag aalaga nung ako ay nagbubuntis ginawa ko. Pero after ng news na yun umaasa ako na magkakaron ng miracle - miracle na gagawin ni lord na gawin niyang normal ang aking baby sa loob ng tiyan ko."
She finally gave birth to Christian Angelo, but was only able to see her child on the second day after her birth. That's when their fears that he had a congenital disease were finally confirmed.
VACTERL
Christian Angelo was born with a condition known as VACTERL, which is an acronym for a number of diseases of various systems of the body. A child diagnosed with VACTERL suffers from the following:
V - Vertebral defects, or problems with the spine
A - Anal atresia, or blockage of the anus
C - Cardiac defects, or heart problems
T, E - Tracheo-esophageal fistula, or an abnormal connection between the trachea and the windpipe
R - Renal anomalies, or kidney problems
L - Limb abnormalities
Her boy is a fighter
Generose shares that her boy is a fighter, and has already undergone 2 operations: a colonoscopy to help him dispose of waste, and for the second operation, his esophagus was taken out of his neck so that he would be able to breathe.
The next operation would be an operation on his kidneys, and once his condition improves, they will connect his esophagus to the fistula, or the hole in his neck, so that he can breathe better. The doctors still are not sure about how they would be able to fix his legs, and his spinal column hasn't completely fused yet.
Generose is also very thankful for all of the other mothers who donated their breastmilk, she's unable to provide her own breastmilk for her son due to the constant stress that she has.
Baby Christian Angelo has passed away
Sadly, less than a week after he was baptized, and at only 4 months old, baby Christian Angelo has passed away due to the complications of his condition.
His mother wrote a heartwarming Facebook post sharing how sad she felt when baby Christian passed, and that her world came crashing down when the bad news finally sunk in. She shared that in spite of her immense sadness, she still feels happy and blessed to have been with her beloved son, even if only for a short time. She wants to thank baby Christian for giving them the chance to become parents, and for bringing such joy in her life.
Rest well baby Christian Angelo. We hope that you've finally found your peace.
Read his mom's heartwarming Facebook post below:
Sources: facebook.com, ghr.nlm.nih.gov
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