In December 2018, my wife Kelly and I were surprised to discover that we would be expecting our 4th child in July 2019. We knew that having four children 6 years old and under was going to be challenging but we were excited.

At 18 weeks our whole world flipped upside down. We were told that our son had a genetic brain condition called alobar holoprosencephaly. In-utero our son’s brain didn’t develop properly and we learned that with this diagnosis he most likely wouldn’t make it to his due date. We soon found ourselves at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in a room with roughly 20 medical professionals, Star Shine hospice, as well as other support personnel where we listened to words like facial deformities, still birth & even fetal demise. We left hand in hand, tears in our eyes & began to grieve the loss of a child that had yet been born.

Over the next 19 weeks we worked with Star Shine Hospice who helped us through the grieving process and prepared our family and our children for what potentially could come. While clinically they continued to prepare us for his death, our son Gary Michael continued to defy all odds. When his genetic testing came back negative for Trisomy 13, 18, & 21 and as he continued to grow and thrive in-utero...we knew Gary Michael was a fighter.

On July 3rd we welcomed Gary Michael into the world via c-section. When he was born we were prepared to have minutes maybe hours with our son...but Gary Michael had other plans. He spent a total of 10 days in the NICU before we were able to bring him home.

On Saturday, September 7th our little man took his last breaths in his Mama’s arms. He is no longer in pain and is no longer suffering but our hearts are broken. His story stretches across the United States and has touched so many people. In his short time here on Earth, he has brought us closer to friends and family, brought several people to know and walk with God, and has demonstrated true strength and resilience. He is our miracle child