The lost of a family member is a sad event. But the loss of a child is especially tragic. Children have so much to live for and a whole future ahead of them. So it feel especially cruel when their lives are cut short.
Unfortunately for parents Gemma Williams and Jason Thomas, this is a grief they have experienced. According to Wales Online, in 2013, the parents lost their baby girl, Lexi, when she was just 12 weeks old.
The happy family was on a shopping trip in March 2013 when their child suddenly fell unconscious in her stroller.
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The parents noticed that she wasn’t responsive, but by then it was already too late.
The mom told Waled Online, “I went to touch Lexi’s face but she didn’t react. Then I realized something wasn’t right and I shouted for help.”
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While they waited for an ambulance, a stranger with medical training tried to resuscitate her, but to no avail. The child was already gone.
Doctors say that little Lexi passed away from a rare illness. She was found to have total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, an illness when very little oxygenated blood is pumped around the body.
But because there was a large hole in her heart, doctors did not detect the condition because a mixture of oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood was circulating around her body.
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While this tragic event has surely shaped them for the rest of their lives, they have managed to recover from the immediate shock of the loss. They now have a son who is healthy and happy.
While life goes one, the couple has stayed very active in advocating for all newborns to be given the “pulse oximetry” test which monitors oxygen levels in the blood and could potentially identify fatal heart conditions like the one Lexi had.
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There is little else more devastating than the loss of a child. Any parent would pay to have a little more time with their child, whether that child is 3 months, 3 years, or 30 years old.
Lexi’s parents are spreading an important message. While no one is at fault, it’s important to cover all your bases as a parent. Please share if you agree that this test should be done on all newborns.
