Angel Ari's Story

February 12, 2001-December 22, 2002

Ari Mekhi Taylor was the first born of twins. They were born February 12, 2001. When I was in my 1st trimester I had a threatened miscarriage.  I was told that I lost one of my babies , by 4 doctors. Three weeks later I revisited my doctor and had an ultrasound and there was my baby. The docs couldn't explain what had happened. From then on I was put on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. Everything was going fine up until my 33rd week. I went into premature labor. I was in labor for 5 days. II was given so many drugs to stop the labor. That night before my twins came my water bag broke. I was only 4 cm at the time. I was given a c section that morning because I caught a temperature and the baby's heart rate wasn't right. Ari was the first one out. He was not breathing on his own so he had to go to the NICU. My daughter Aria went straight to the nursery.  Ari  was 4lbs 8 ozs.  and Aria  was 3lbs 12ozs.   When I finally I got back to my room  a group of docs came in and told me that  my son was having some problems.  First they told me about the hole in his heart. That  it is so big that it wont close on its on and that he only has 2 chambers instead of 4. Then  a genetics doc came in  and started talking about his muscle tone and his chromosomes.   She told me that my son has downs syndrome and that he will be mentally retarded.  I was  hurt who wouldn't be.  My daughter was fine but my son he wasn't. Was it something I did?  I  finally got a chance to see my son.  He was hooked up to so many machines, tubes, ivs. It was terrifying. But I knew that this sweet precious child needed me.  A month went by  and Ari was still in the nicu. He was receiving physical therapy while in the nicu .  I didn't get a chance to hold my son until he came of the  ventilator. He was 4 weeks old.  One day  when his father and I came to visit for the day a doc approached me and said have I heard about the injury to Ari's head during birth. My heart stopped; all I could think about is now what is going to happened to my child. They had took a ct scan before we even got there. But I had already put in writing that no one does any test without our consent.  We saw the ct scan  I asked the docs about what the other docs told me.  He changed the whole entire story. So in other words someone is lying to me.  They said that he has fluid on the brain and that's all they could tell me until further tests could be done.  That same week they call me at home saying Ari had a seizure. But when they gave him brain wave they said they couldn't tell because the waves had no where to go. Now I was just so confused.  Two weeks later they did an mri. They called me and his father in.  I didn't understand why they had so many people in the room with us.  Like the chaplain , social worker, and other docs I never saw before. They put up the scan  and I didn't know what I was looking at.  They told me that my precious sons' brain was deteriorating.. How could that be, when did that happen?  They basically told me that my son will be a vegetable, he wouldn't progress beyond a baby.  He wouldn't suck a bottle,  talk, move,  he wouldn't do nothing. Then they ask if I wanted to take him home . Of course I do. I guess they were waiting on me to say no I don't want him.  I guess they were giving up on my child.  The next day when we came to visit Ari they moved him  to another side.  I couldn't believe that they were really trying to get my baby out of there. He was off all monitors.  When we took my son home he was on  a ng tube and  apnea monitor.  A week later my son came off the monitor and started taking all his feedings by mouth. He did come home on a couple of meds like  lasix , Phenobarb.  Today my son has not been hospitalized or needed any emergency meds. He is off the Phenobarb and lasix.  But he is now on klonopin. Ari has microcephaly . He has a very small head.  He is currently receiving pt , OT ,and speech therapy.  His  sister is loving every moment they spend together. Its very hard to see that your child is different. And will always be.  But I have to remember that he is  a miracle my miracle and  I wouldn't change anything about my child.

Ari joined the angels on December 22, 2002