Parents: Jenn and Marc
Hometown: London, Ontario
February 23, 2002 – March 8, 2002
Hailey Patricia’s Story
“I’ll never understand how this could be;
Why God needed to take you from me.
I’ll never hear you speak or take your first step.
But in my heart all the memories are kept.
You touched many hearts both big and small
And although you are gone you’ll be cherished by all.”
Hailey’s mom Jenn thought she would be writing a poem for her daughter’s wedding someday; instead, she wrote these poignant lines for her funeral.
Hailey was Marc and Jenn’s second child. Toward the end of Jenn’s pregnancy, it became apparent that Hailey wasn’t gaining weight as she should. As a result, they decided it would be better for her to be born a little early since she wasn’t thriving in the womb. They also knew that she had some heart problems that would require surgery after birth. So they decided it was best not to wait any longer. At 36 weeks, Jenn was induced and Jenn and Marc got to meet their beautiful Hailey.
Jenn had labored for 24 hours and then didn’t get to see Hailey until she was about 7 hours old. At that time, they told her that Hailey seemed pretty well. They were concerned about her heart, though. She had three holes in it, and they planned to operate as soon as possible but when Jenn saw her, she felt that something else was wrong. Yet everyone kept insisting that it wasn’t. Jenn was released from the hospital, while Hailey stayed there. After five days, while visiting Hailey at the hospital, one of the doctors asked to see Jenn. “It was then that I was told the worst news of my life. They told me that Hailey had trisomy 18 and that she would have at the most three more weeks with us.”
They were stunned, and devastated. They had some friends and family with them, and they all tried to absorb the blow at the same time.
“After trying to accept that my daughter was going to pass away, we started making arrangements to bring her home and arrange for her christening.” But Hailey never got to come home with them. They had arranged to have her christened at the hospital, and “She passed away in the hospital just after
her christening. She waited until the entire family was there and passed away in my arms.”
Jenn cherishes the time she got to spend with Hailey, and especially the first time she got to hold her. She says, “I am thankful that my entire family (even those from out of town) got to meet her.”
Jenn did this family profile story in honor of Hailey’s second birthday and anniversary. She writes, “I know that it is all overwhelming and it seems impossible and unfair. Things do get better; the pain never goes away, but it gets easier. And know that you’ll never forget. Your child is always there.”