My son & daughter-in-law were admitted to Roanoke around Jan. 12th due to preeclampsia. (All my days are running together.) Well, Haley's blood pressure was all over the place, so they decided to induce labor at 34 weeks. After 24 hours of trying to get the labor to progress, the baby couldn't handle it anymore. He started declining, so the doctors had to do an emergency c-section.

Jan 30, 2026.... @ 0551

5 lbs 13oz. 17 1/2 inches long

Carter Wade Shipley was born but not breathing. After resuscitation, he was placed in NICU on a vent. He has since then been removed from the vent and is on CPAP to maintain his oxygen saturation levels.

Saturday, he started having seizures. The pediatric neurologist ordered an MRI stat.... (since the enlarged ventricle that no one was worried about was told to the neurologist)

Carter was diagnosed with....

Lissencephaly/pachygyria with a thin or missing posterior corpus callosum.

This is generally considered a moderate to severe spectrum, often resulting in profound developmental delays, early-onset intractable seizures, and shortened life expectancy.

Prognosis: While the spectrum can range from mild to severe, the presence of lissencephaly (smooth brain) combined with significant corpus callosum abnormalities usually indicates a more severe, profound disability.

The prognosis varies depending on the severity of the syndrome. Many children may remain at an early developmental level. Life expectancy is short, and many will not survive beyond early infancy, while a significant proportion of more mildly affected children survive past 12 months. Life expectancy is often shortened, with many children not surviving past age 10 due to respiratory infections, aspiration, or severe seizures.

Infants with the lissencephaly/pachygyria spectrum and associated corpus callosum abnormalities often face a challenging prognosis, with many experiencing severe developmental delays and limited life expectancy. While severely affected cases may not survive beyond early infancy, a significant proportion of children with milder forms or appropriate care can survive past 12 months, and some may live into their teens, though the risk of early mortality due to aspiration or respiratory issues remains high.

Survival to 1 Year: Many children with this spectrum survive past 1 year, but a significant portion die within the first two years, often due to infections or seizures.

Developmental Delays: Infants usually experience severe developmental delays, poor muscle tone (hypotonia), and minimal progress in motor skills (e.g., inability to walk).

Seizures: Over 90% of affected individuals develop seizures, often starting as infant spasms and becoming difficult to control.

The combination of a smooth brain (lissencephaly/pachygyria) and callosal abnormality typically limits cognitive and motor development to a 3- to 5-month-old level. Feeding difficulties, requiring specialized care.

Carter was able to come home Wednesday evening on the 25th. He came home on hospice and pediatric hospice is different then adult hospice. He still gets to see doctors and have maintenance care. He has an extensive feeding & medication regimen.

Friday evening Carter started having seizures and the hospice nurse came and adjusted medications. At 0230 Saturday morning Haley & Paul called family and advised that Cater was starting to have more seizures and asked everyone to come be with them. At 1619 Carter fell asleep in his parents arms & woke up in God's arms. He's healed & perfect there.

Here we are heartbroken and blessed at the same time. We were blessed to have 29 beautiful days with our perfect boy. In 29 days you imprinted on our hearts and changed our lives. We will love & miss you until the we take our last breath but then we will see you again.

We are fundraising to support Carter's headstone.