Daniel's Story

Images Captured by The Labor Union Photographers

Meet Tiny Light Daniel. This sweet baby is a member of a huge and loving family. Caring Parents, many siblings, and a guardian angel brother watch over this boy.  

From the moment that Daniel’s parents learned he had a heart condition, they had a hard time being optimistic. They had lost a baby two hours after birth with a previous pregnancy, and they could not fight the feelings of knowing what it is like to lose a child. A cardiologist assured them that many babies survive this with open-heart surgery after birth. At that point, they found hope in the little things. Daniel was most active in utero while his older siblings were playing. When his brother was learning to read, Daniel would move towards his voice. He made up a huge piece of this family, and was deeply loved long before he was born.   

Daniel had his surgery just a few days after birth. It went so well that the procedure took an hour less than expected. His family is anxious to be bringing their newborn home, especially after the loss of Daniel’s brother. Because of this loss, the doctors were extra vigilant on his prenatal care; it was the reason his heart condition was caught so early. “I believe his big brother saved his life by losing his.”  

Daniel’s family knows what it is to lose a baby, and they cherish every moment with Daniel. Things now are uncertain. Because he has now had his heart surgery, he could live a life of complete normalcy with a fully functioning heart. The other possibility is that his valve problem could worsen enough to require subsequent surgeries. Regardless of the future, he is very loved, not only by his parents, but also by six other children! They want nothing more than to take him home and hold him.  

 

Story by Angela Stephen-Dewhurst