Yesterday, on November 23rd, our little brother, Wyatt Bankes, passed away after a long battle against what he was dealt since his birth. He was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Short Bowl Syndrom, a condition that affected him for his entire life. Almost 5 years ago, my sister and I received a phone call from our father and step mom asking how we felt about adopting a little baby boy into our family. We were informed of the medical conditions, but we were prepared for anything the next few years threw at us. We spent every single weekend driving two hours down to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). He spent the first year of his life in CHOP, gaining strength, support, and the strongest family foundation. We went down for every appointment, every consult, every surgery. When we finally could bring him home, we threw the biggest celebration. We had nurses that helped us take care of his medical needs in the home, keeping his feeds and formulas consistent, tracking his weight and progress. He was born with a deformity in his hand, causing his fingers to not fully develop. It did not stop him from doing anything he wanted to. He could still play with all his toys, give high five's, and hold your hand all the time. We met with plastic surgeons, cosmeticians, and endless doctors with plans to give him as much function and use as possible. Our step mother knew the names of every single medicine he took, the dosage, the time he needed to take it, and how to administer it. I have never seen a little boy as full of love as Wyatt. He would be anyone's friends. All you had to do was be kind to him, and he would love you like you were superman. Over the last four years, my parents met so many people through their friends that supported and loved Wyatt. He could light an entire room with his laughter, his smile, his constantly positive energy. Anyone that did not know his condition, would have no clue that it existed, he was always so full of life.
The day before Thanksgiving, my sister and I both received a phone call at work from our step mom, telling us there was an emergency with Wyatt and we had to meet them at the hospital right away. Once we were all there, we waited and hoped until we were all brought into the spiritual center. We were informed that he had passed, peacefully.
All of the light in our world was ripped from us with one sentence. We knew before we were told. We now must stick together, as a family, to get through this extremely difficult time. We've chosen to have our sweet angel cremated, with some of his favorite toys, so he can be brought home and kept with us for the rest of our own time. We aren't ones to ask for help, but in a time like this, we have to reach out and ask all of our family and friends to help us. We were not prepared for this, and have many services to pay for. Anything at all is appreciated by us entirely. With the holiday's around the corner, we aren't even entirely sure how to react to this situation. One day at a time.

Anyone can reach out with donations through here, to me (Christa), my sister (Kayla), my step mom (Jane), or my father (Ralph).

Everything donated will be used to cover the costs of cremation and his last memorial service. All extra donations we receive will be given to either Toys for Tots in his name, or to one of the Children's Hospitals that did everything in their knowledge to keep him walking this Earth with us until his last day.

Losing a child, a son, a baby brother, a friend is not easy. A tiny, four year old angel, taken entirely too soon from us. Thank you to everyone for all of the support and love. We can't thank you enough or express our gratitude as deep as it runs. Thank you.