Alexander Fields and Breanna Struthers knew there were complications with their first baby's heart early on in the pregnancy but were still shocked and saddened when Zayden, nine days old, passed away in his mother's arms on Saturday at 12:27 p.m. at Canuck Place Children's Hospice in Vancouver.
Zayden Michael Struthers Fields was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare but serious congenital heart defect, on Oct. 23 at 10:58 p.m. in Prince George. He was flown to B.C. Children's Hospital about an hour later.
According to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children website, children with this heart defect typically undergo at least three major heart surgeries to establish a reliable flow of blood from the heart to the body, while ultimately directing blood to the lungs, without the direct assistance of the heart. The Norwood procedure, usually performed right after birth, is the most difficult to perform and little Zayden was deemed too weak to survive the procedure.
Instead doctors did a procedure to open the baby's aortic valve using a balloon catheter.
"On Wednesday baby Zayden had his eyes open and everything looked so good," said Selena Skuggedal-Fields, Zayden's grandmother, who spoke on the family's behalf. "But then he quickly deteriorated to the point where his liver and kidneys shut down and that's when my son called to say Zayden was dying."
It was only a matter of hours after arriving at Canuck Place that Zayden passed away, she added.
"They decided to take the tubes out so that Breanna and Zander could hold Zayden and say goodbye to their little son," said Skuggedal-Fields, who couldn't afford to fly down, but the Variety Club paid for her flight.
Unfortunately, the fog Friday night grounded her plane so she arrived at Canuck Place shortly after her grandson passed away Saturday.
Breanna's mother Joan Struthers was able to provide emotional support and was also in Vancouver with the family during this difficult time.
The family has been feeling the crush of financial burden as expenses added up. Breanna, who has Type 1 diabetes, worked up until she was about seven months pregnant. Work has taken a back seat to the emotional upheaval Alexander has felt since his son's health situation became more and more dire.
"Zander feels so much pressure right now because he hasn't been working," said Skuggedal-Fields. "He wants to do something nice for his son by way of a funeral or a memorial and my husband (Brian) and I are not financially well off right now because I've lost my job."
Alexander's sister Ashleigh put a call out to the community with a Facebook page called Support for Zayden and set up a go fund me page at http://www.gofundme.com/fbm25o to help with finances. The goal for the funding page is $5,000 and it's hit the halfway mark.
"To watch my son lose his son, it's just too much," said Skuggedal-Fields. "Zander asked if he and Breanna could stay at our house for a few days before they go home because the baby's room is all set up." They just can't face it right now, she added.
"Breanna and Alexander asked me and Joan, Breanna's mom, to be there when they go home to help them through it," said Skuggedal-Fields. "Words can't describe how grateful we are to the Prince George community for reaching out. Zander and Breanna are in awe of how much support they have received from people we don't even know. That's why I love Prince George."
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