Hi! I’m Marina’s mom.

Marina was born on a sunny California day, the day my husband (Anastasius) and I had our second (she is our youngest) dream come true.

On April 22nd 2022, my beautiful daughter Marina drew her first breath at MLK Community Hospital in Los Angeles.

It was a beautiful and precious moment, especially after 15 hours of labor and me belittling my poor husband.

But it was short-lived.

At birth, we learned she was born with Supracardiac Obstructed TAPVR, one of the most complicated cases the surgeon team here has ever seen.

All our dreams had evaporated, our hearts burst, and we could not really absorb the information we were being given, its as if time had stopped along with our ability to listen and understand.

The more they talked the more time slowed, almost as if we were eternally trapped in a moment we could not escape from.

Our tears fell. Our faith was shattered. We questioned our faith and faced our worst fears.

She had open heart surgery at 19 hours old.

It was the longest wait of our lives. I became the menace of the ER.

I stood up by the door trying to stop and ask every time a nurse or doctor walked in or out of the operating room, begging for good news.

My makeup was smeared all over my face, I had been awake for almost 2 days, I still had my hospital socks from the delivery room in LA.

I developed a bad rapport with the security officers and most of the nurses and I was asked multiple times to sit down and clear the hallways, or leave and wait for a call.

I became belligerent and manic. I am ashamed of the scene that I made that day, I did not know how to process or how an adult should act in this situation, I never expected it, never prepared.

After several hours of the worst anticipation we had ever experienced the doctor gave us the news.

Marina was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Marina had a CC done April 25th and it showed the most severe case of Pulmonary Hypertension/Pulmonary disease the surgical team has seen.

She is currently on ECMO (A machine that takes his blood out of her body adds oxygen, and then cycles it back in.)

This acts as an external heart and does the pumping for her, this gives takes the stress off of her arteries and gives the doctors time to assess and execute a strategy.

I did not know if I should take this as good news or bad, my husband remains faithful but I am heartbroken and I just want to take my baby girl home.

The doctors are saying it is too early to give us a definite answer on the next path they are going to take, as of now all they can do is monitor her and see how her tiny body responds to certain treatments.

Although the days and nights pass, my husband and I are stuck in the same limbo since the 25th of April it has been one long day for us.

I still feel like its all a dream and I will wake out of this nightmare soon.

I pray god has a plan that I am not aware of. He has never let me down before, never abandoned us.

I don’t have friends or relatives that can relate to my situation.

We have been living here in the hospital and alternating from LA to Missouri and taking turns, It has only been a month and it feels like years, I cannot begin to express my anguish or my heartbreak.

I have left my job indefinitely and my husband works on his laptop from the car in the hospital parking lot.

We have abandoned our past lives for the time being, our first born is with his aunt in Los Angeles until under the impression that we are coming home any day now.

I have never been one to ask for help, and my friends know this of me, but at this point of my life I have no pride or shame that can overpower my desperation.

I cannot leave here until I have my baby in my arms, nor will I.

I am asking my friends, family and church community for their support as well as their prayers.

Plead my case to the lord and say her name during service.

Please remember her name and mine when you attend mass.

Thank you and god bless you.