Damien Staley Rhodes was born January 22, 2025. He was only two weeks early but was a healthy 7 lbs 2.4 oz! He was absolutely perfect from head to toe, but he was born via c section due to my uterus rupturing at home. We both nearly died, but Damien was completely brain dead due to being in my abdomen without oxygen for an undetermined amount of time. He was shipped out to the best children’s hospital in Minnesota, Saint Marys in Rochester. The doctors there did everything they could to save Damien. They performed every possible test to try to find and even provoke some form of brain activity, but after three days of constant tests and even the 72 hour cooling, we were given no hope, because Damien’s brain was not showing anything compatible with life. Doctors kept Damien on full breathing support and nutrition, and I thought that this meant that they were expecting a change. I believe in miracles so strongly, so each day that I spent with Damien, I fully expected that big miracle where he would breathe on his own or open his little eyes…or maybe cry… What I didn’t understand at first was that every moment that Damien gave us was a miracle. We used it to make precious memories with him. To hold him in our arms and show him how dearly we loved him. After eight days, Damien’s organs were showing signs of failure, and his seizures were increasing even though his medication had been increased. On his ninth day, we made the heartbreaking decision to remove Damien’s tubes and let him be at peace. We know he is in Heaven now waiting for the day we are all together again, but the hole in our hearts won’t be filled until then.
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