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Monday May 7th 2018 Mireya underwent a surgery that didn’t go as planned, that Wednesday night we lost her 2 times following by another time that morning..her doctors said we wouldn’t be able to bring her back if she coded again, so we were transferred to another hospital to better her care...unfortunately 2 weeks later we were faced with every mother’s nightmare. Mireya was bleeding out in her brain and we weren’t going to be able to save her. Saturday May 26th she became our angel baby.
Because so many people have asked “How can we help?” We are starting this go fund me. This go fund me will assist me with burial expenses. Small donations can go a long way, anything will be appreciated.
(Below is our angel baby’s story)
If you stay here, she won’t make it.”
Those were the words Victoria heard when her daughter was just three months old. The five surgeries Mireya had endured hadn’t done enough to restore life to her digestive system, and the doctors realized their facilities weren’t capable of treating this complicated condition.
The 20-year-old first-time mother didn’t have time to process what she was hearing. She didn’t need to. She knew what needed to happen. She told the doctors, “Wherever she has to be, I’m gonna go.”
Where Mireya had to be was Omaha, Nebraska.
*************************
In her mother’s words, Mireya is “one heck of a child.” When she’s not watching cartoons on her mom’s phone, she’s perfecting her selfie style on Snapchat, or making those around her smile with her infectious giggles. She’s an opinionated 22-month-old, and as the only granddaughter in the family, you could say she’s spoiled. “Very,” Victoria adds.
While Mireya has some typical toddler traits, her life has been anything but typical. When the doctors saw a blockage in the baby’s stomach during the 20-week ultrasound, Victoria was informed that her baby would go through a small surgery shortly after birth, but that it was a relatively simple procedure.
In June of 2016, Victoria went into labor five weeks ahead of schedule, and was driven to the hospital near her home in Lubbock, Texas. Mireya was born, and as expected, was rushed into the operating room for her surgery. Unfortunately, the procedure did not go as expected.
The doctors discovered that Mireya’s intestines had become wrapped in a knot, effectively cutting off blood flow and killing the tissue. Her intestines were placed in a silo bag, with the hope of bringing them back to life.
Victoria was still in her own hospital room recovering from the delivery when she heard the news. “I had no words. When they told me that there was going to be more to come, that’s when I broke down.”
The silo bag did not help as much as the doctors hoped, so the next plan was to place Mireya’s intestines back in her stomach, where perhaps their natural environment could revitalize them. A month later, surgeons checked on Mireya’s condition, but there still was no progress.
Mireya’s months-long inpatient stay was also taking a toll on Victoria. “It was traumatic.” But she knew she couldn’t focus on the negative. She had to look forward. She had to be strong. She had to fight for her daughter.
“No matter how hard it was for me, it wasn’t about me anymore. It was about this child of mine having to go through the biggest, most terrifying thing in her life.”
It was in late September when things took a turn for the worse, and Mireya was referred to Omaha. She was transferred in early October, at which point Nebraska Medicine evaluated her for their intestinal rehabilitation program. Her condition was so poor, however, that it was not a viable option. A transplant was the only path to improvement.
Mireya was officially placed on the transplant waiting list shortly thereafter. Victoria was told it can sometimes take up to a year for organs to become available, so she prepared for a long wait.
On November 7, she learned her baby would have to wait no longer. Mireya’s transplant was ready.
Victoria called her family so they could travel up and be there for the surgery. The next night, Mireya received a new small bowel, liver, and pancreas during a 12-hour procedure. “It was the longest night of my life,”
Nearly two months after her surgery, Mireya was able to be discharged from the hospital. “That was a happy moment right there. To be able to wake up and not have to go over there [to the hospital], to just wake up and she’s right next to me…that was the best.”
Mireya continued to improve, and the two of them were able to go back home to Texas around Easter. Their stay did not last long. Less than a week after returning home, Mireya had to be admitted to the hospital. While there, with Victoria by her side, she began seizing. As her daughter lie there in the middle of a grand mal seizure, Victoria feared the worst. Her heart pounded. Her mind raced.
‘Am I going to lose my child?’
She had long accepted the fact that hospital visits would become the norm. She knew the doctors at Nebraska Medicine were capable of treating her, but as the seizure continued, Victoria was struck with a terror she never expected. “I didn’t know if she was going to make it here.”
Twenty-seven minutes later, the seizure ended. Mireya was life-flighted to Omaha, where the doctors tried to find the cause. She underwent rounds of testing, and fortunately there was no evidence of brain damage. Victoria was able to breathe again.
This new complication was yet another thing about which Victoria needed to learn. Early on, it was a daily struggle to take in everything the doctors told her, in addition to learning how to handle her new duties as a caregiver. Victoria could have simply let the nurses do everything, but as she says “That was my job as a mom, I had to step up.”
She learned how to bathe Mireya properly without affecting her lines, change her dressings, and do anything else her baby needed. It wasn’t always easy. The first time Victoria attempted to change dressings, Mireya wasn’t the only one crying. Seeing her child in such pain was excruciating enough, but this time Victoria knew she was causing that pain, and it broke her heart. “I had to hold back the tears and do it, because she needed it.”
So she kept working, and kept learning, and soon enough, she was able to handle everything for Mireya. Victoria was confident in her newfound abilities, and Mireya had gotten accustomed to the various procedures – a sobering reality, upon reflection. “Those are the things you don’t want your child to learn. It freaks you out because she’s still a baby but she knows what’s coming, so she just relaxes herself for it. It’s sad that that’s what she knows.”
When asked how she’s been able to stay so strong in the face of so much adversity, Victoria pauses thoughtfully as a smile stretches across her face. “What wouldn’t you do for your child? It’s not about me. I’ve struggled and everything’s been a toll, but there’s nothing any parent wouldn’t do for their child. To see her smile at the end of the day is what gets me through it, just to know that she’s smiling and she’s happy. That’s how I do it.”
Because so many people have asked “How can we help?” We are starting this go fund me. This go fund me will assist me with burial expenses. Small donations can go a long way, anything will be appreciated.
(Below is our angel baby’s story)
If you stay here, she won’t make it.”
Those were the words Victoria heard when her daughter was just three months old. The five surgeries Mireya had endured hadn’t done enough to restore life to her digestive system, and the doctors realized their facilities weren’t capable of treating this complicated condition.
The 20-year-old first-time mother didn’t have time to process what she was hearing. She didn’t need to. She knew what needed to happen. She told the doctors, “Wherever she has to be, I’m gonna go.”
Where Mireya had to be was Omaha, Nebraska.
*************************
In her mother’s words, Mireya is “one heck of a child.” When she’s not watching cartoons on her mom’s phone, she’s perfecting her selfie style on Snapchat, or making those around her smile with her infectious giggles. She’s an opinionated 22-month-old, and as the only granddaughter in the family, you could say she’s spoiled. “Very,” Victoria adds.
While Mireya has some typical toddler traits, her life has been anything but typical. When the doctors saw a blockage in the baby’s stomach during the 20-week ultrasound, Victoria was informed that her baby would go through a small surgery shortly after birth, but that it was a relatively simple procedure.
In June of 2016, Victoria went into labor five weeks ahead of schedule, and was driven to the hospital near her home in Lubbock, Texas. Mireya was born, and as expected, was rushed into the operating room for her surgery. Unfortunately, the procedure did not go as expected.
The doctors discovered that Mireya’s intestines had become wrapped in a knot, effectively cutting off blood flow and killing the tissue. Her intestines were placed in a silo bag, with the hope of bringing them back to life.
Victoria was still in her own hospital room recovering from the delivery when she heard the news. “I had no words. When they told me that there was going to be more to come, that’s when I broke down.”
The silo bag did not help as much as the doctors hoped, so the next plan was to place Mireya’s intestines back in her stomach, where perhaps their natural environment could revitalize them. A month later, surgeons checked on Mireya’s condition, but there still was no progress.
Mireya’s months-long inpatient stay was also taking a toll on Victoria. “It was traumatic.” But she knew she couldn’t focus on the negative. She had to look forward. She had to be strong. She had to fight for her daughter.
“No matter how hard it was for me, it wasn’t about me anymore. It was about this child of mine having to go through the biggest, most terrifying thing in her life.”
It was in late September when things took a turn for the worse, and Mireya was referred to Omaha. She was transferred in early October, at which point Nebraska Medicine evaluated her for their intestinal rehabilitation program. Her condition was so poor, however, that it was not a viable option. A transplant was the only path to improvement.
Mireya was officially placed on the transplant waiting list shortly thereafter. Victoria was told it can sometimes take up to a year for organs to become available, so she prepared for a long wait.
On November 7, she learned her baby would have to wait no longer. Mireya’s transplant was ready.
Victoria called her family so they could travel up and be there for the surgery. The next night, Mireya received a new small bowel, liver, and pancreas during a 12-hour procedure. “It was the longest night of my life,”
Nearly two months after her surgery, Mireya was able to be discharged from the hospital. “That was a happy moment right there. To be able to wake up and not have to go over there [to the hospital], to just wake up and she’s right next to me…that was the best.”
Mireya continued to improve, and the two of them were able to go back home to Texas around Easter. Their stay did not last long. Less than a week after returning home, Mireya had to be admitted to the hospital. While there, with Victoria by her side, she began seizing. As her daughter lie there in the middle of a grand mal seizure, Victoria feared the worst. Her heart pounded. Her mind raced.
‘Am I going to lose my child?’
She had long accepted the fact that hospital visits would become the norm. She knew the doctors at Nebraska Medicine were capable of treating her, but as the seizure continued, Victoria was struck with a terror she never expected. “I didn’t know if she was going to make it here.”
Twenty-seven minutes later, the seizure ended. Mireya was life-flighted to Omaha, where the doctors tried to find the cause. She underwent rounds of testing, and fortunately there was no evidence of brain damage. Victoria was able to breathe again.
This new complication was yet another thing about which Victoria needed to learn. Early on, it was a daily struggle to take in everything the doctors told her, in addition to learning how to handle her new duties as a caregiver. Victoria could have simply let the nurses do everything, but as she says “That was my job as a mom, I had to step up.”
She learned how to bathe Mireya properly without affecting her lines, change her dressings, and do anything else her baby needed. It wasn’t always easy. The first time Victoria attempted to change dressings, Mireya wasn’t the only one crying. Seeing her child in such pain was excruciating enough, but this time Victoria knew she was causing that pain, and it broke her heart. “I had to hold back the tears and do it, because she needed it.”
So she kept working, and kept learning, and soon enough, she was able to handle everything for Mireya. Victoria was confident in her newfound abilities, and Mireya had gotten accustomed to the various procedures – a sobering reality, upon reflection. “Those are the things you don’t want your child to learn. It freaks you out because she’s still a baby but she knows what’s coming, so she just relaxes herself for it. It’s sad that that’s what she knows.”
When asked how she’s been able to stay so strong in the face of so much adversity, Victoria pauses thoughtfully as a smile stretches across her face. “What wouldn’t you do for your child? It’s not about me. I’ve struggled and everything’s been a toll, but there’s nothing any parent wouldn’t do for their child. To see her smile at the end of the day is what gets me through it, just to know that she’s smiling and she’s happy. That’s how I do it.”