Memorial for baby Milani

Hi Friends and Family,

On October 19th, 2021, my niece Anissa Machado became a young mom at the age of 19 to her sweet baby girl-- Milani Yasmine. We were SO excited to be celebrating Milani's first birthday this month. However, on October 13, 2022, Anissa faced every mother's worst nightmare and held her baby in her arms as she took her final breath.

Milani was a little 'love bug' and brought so much joy to all those around her. From the start, life was never easy for Milani. She was diagnosed with a rare condition called Smith-Lemli-Optiz syndrome and had a large hole in her heart (AV Canal defect). She spent her first few months of life in the NICU in Tucson and the CVICU in Phoenix Children's Hospital, and had open heart surgery @ 10 months old— on August 11th.

Anissa and her younger sister Bianca constantly stayed in the Ronald McDonald House so they could spend as much time as possible caring for sweet Milani. Once Milani was discharged and able to come home to Tucson, she required special care around the clock (feeding tube, Oxygen tank, constant medicine). Bianca (at just 18-19 years old) paused her aspirations and moved in with Anissa to help raise Milani too.

Anissa managed to balance caring for her baby and working hard to support her financially 100% by herself with her own eyelash business she's owned since she was 16. Being a young, single, self-employed mom to a baby with special needs was not easy, but Anissa never once complained. She always had a positive attitude and said she was so grateful that she was chosen to be Milani's mommy. No one else could've been a better mom to Milani than Anissa. She loved being a mom, and loved Milani more than anything-- constantly advocating for her in the bureaucratic medical system.

Anissa is not one to ask for help, but I have set up this page for her to help take the burden off of all the unexpected expenses and allow her time to grieve (as there's no PTO for self-employed). While nothing can bring back sweet Milani, she’s planning to use donations to get Milani cremated and host a celebration of life. We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.