❤️ Help Us Save Baby Luciana — Born at 28 Weeks After Losing Her Mother, Diana

Our beloved Diana passed away this week, and we are shattered.

We are sharing her story and her baby’s story in the hope that you will help us save the little girl she never had the chance to hold.

Who Diana Was And Why She Was Family

We met Diana Antonia Pineda Samoza in 2008 through the AuPair program. She arrived from Peru to care for our children Arianna and Omeed, and within days it was clear she was so much more than an au pair.

Diana became family.

She raised Arianna and Omeed with a gentleness and love that cannot be described in words. She was a second mother to Arianna and Omeed, patient, nurturing, endlessly playful. She had the purest heart. Every child adored her. Even animals gravitated to her. I will never forget the day she sobbed uncontrollably because a neighbor destroyed a beehive. That was Diana: pure love, pure goodness, pure soul.

We sponsored her to attend college. She was the first in her family ever to do so because she dreamed of creating a better life for the people she loved.

When she returned to Peru 13 years ago to support her family, we cried for hours at the airport. We didn’t know if we would see her again. Thankfully, she received a 10-year visa and visited us every year or two. Every visit was a gift. She grounded us. She radiated warmth. She reminded us what truly matters.

She was Arianna’s best friend, her person. The one she confided in. The one she planned her future with.

Diana loved to travel. She fulfilled her dream of seeing Europe—Paris, Germany, Denmark. She was proud. She was happy. She was glowing.

Diana was blessed to have been surrounded by love by her amazing family in Peru. Maybe because of that, her greatest wish was to become a mother, to share that love eternally.

And recently, she found happiness with Adam, the love of her life, from Poland. He arrived at almost the perfect time - right before she was about to give up hope for a soulmate and a baby. When she learned she was pregnant, she was radiant. Every call, every message was filled with joy.

They didn’t have much, but they were rich in faith, family, and love.

The Tragedy That Changed Everything:

Four weeks ago, Diana became violently ill. She couldn’t keep down food or water for nearly two weeks. She was treated in a public hospital in Lima, but an MRI, which she desperately needed, would have taken four more days to obtain.

We found out only when she sent Arianna a voice message saying goodbye, saying she was very sick and didn’t think she would survive. We immediately called her family and insisted they take her to a private hospital. We promised to cover the costs. They rushed her there that same day.

The MRI revealed the unthinkable:

Diana had a brain tumor obstructing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, causing dangerous intracranial pressure. Doctors placed a shunt to drain the fluid. They also discovered that the pregnancy hormones were accelerating the tumor’s growth.

They performed an emergency C-section to save the baby.

And at just 28 weeks, baby Luciana was born, tiny, fragile, fighting. Diana, even in her weakness, told us she wanted to live for Adam and for her baby.

But she never got to hold Luciana.

She only heard her cry.

After the C-section, doctors decided to remove the tumor. They told us the surgery went well. For a moment, we allowed ourselves hope.

The next day, everything collapsed.

The family received a call that Diana had suffered a severe intracranial hemorrhage. One of her ventricles had collapsed. She had a 3% chance of survival.

Three days later, after every possible intervention, Diana passed away.

We still cannot believe she is gone.

My daughter and I flew to Lima for the funeral. Being in her home where she grew up was surreal and heartbreaking. Arianna slept in Diana’s bed that first night just to feel close to her.

We buried Diana in a beautiful resting place. It was peaceful. It was devastating.

Baby Luciana — Fighting for Her Life in the NICU

After the funeral, we went straight to the NICU to visit baby Luciana.

She is tiny.

She is beautiful.

She opened her eyes for us.

She is breathing heavily but fighting, hour by hour.

She needs:

-Oxygen and respiratory support

-Specialized neonatal care

-Gradual oral feedings (just milliliters at a time)

-Monitoring of her heart and brain

-Transfusions

-Around-the-clock care

-And she has a long road ahead.

Why We Are Asking for Help

We have covered all of Diana’s medical expenses.

We have covered all of Luciana’s NICU care to date.

But NICU care in Lima costs $1,000 per day, and we can no longer sustain the private hospital payments alone.

We are trying to get Luciana into a better public hospital, but the bureaucracy is overwhelming. She cannot be transferred without an ID card, which takes two weeks, and the hospital near Diana’s home is not safe or adequately equipped.

Luciana needs ongoing medical care, not just now, but after she leaves the hospital. She will need early-childhood therapy, developmental support, and long-term monitoring to give her the strongest possible future.

❤️ How You Can Help

We are asking, with our hearts in our hands, for your help.

Please help us:

* Keep baby Luciana in the NICU

* Pay for her day-to-day medical care

* Ensure she receives medication, transfusions, and respiratory support

* Provide for her long-term health needs

* Give her a fighting chance at life

Every contribution, big or small, helps cover another day of survival for Luciana.

If you cannot donate, please share her story.

We want the world to know who Diana was — and we want her baby girl to live the life Diana dreamed of for her.

From the bottom of our hearts,

Thank you for helping us fight for Luciana.

Thank you for honoring Diana’s memory.