Remembering Eric Ray Skow
Donation protected
My husband Dane and I found out we were pregnant with baby number three in the Spring of 2014. Baby three was due within days of our two daughters' birthdays, which, of course, didn't surprise anyone. Another fall baby! We decided not to find out the sex of the baby until he/she was born which, of course, prompted early betting in the family. Everyone assumed it would be another girl, but not so secretly, hoped for a boy. I had a perfect pregnancy. Every doctors visit the baby was growing perfect, the heart rate was perfect, & I felt great.
In the afternoon on Friday, October 10th, 2014, four weeks before my due date, I went in for a non stress test which was supposed to last 20 minutes. I was at the Dr office for over an hour. Again everything seemed fine, but the baby's heart rate was staying steady around 155. They sent me to the hospital where they did an ultrasound and said baby still looked great. That changed when the baby's heart rate went from 155 down to 105, twice, and I felt it throughout my whole body. They decided after the second time it dropped to do an emergency C-section.
When the doctor announced it was a boy, Dane and I were completely overjoyed. I remember the look we gave each other when they told us. We named him Eric Ray... Eric, after Dane's late father's middle name and Ray after my father's middle name.
Immediately after Eric was born, the doctors knew he wasn't well and rushed him to another room. He had 3 blood transfusions as he was severely anemic & a number of x-rays that showed his heart was nearly as large as his chest cavity, preventing his lungs from being able to expand properly. A team of neonatal specialists worked to save him for nearly four hours, but simply could not.
Eric Ray passed away from a severe case of Ebstein's Anomaly early in the morning on Saturday, October 11th before Dane or I were able to hold him. It felt like a dream that we couldn't wake up from. All I wanted was to hear his cry and look into his eyes. A chance I will never get.
We are coming up on his 1 year angelversary, which is hard for me to believe. This last year has had its fair share of ups and downs, but our family is strong and we have made it through together. Dane and I have decided to celebrate Eric’s first birthday/angelversary by going to a place that is very near and dear to our family. We will be heading to Haiti for a week to visit The New Life to the Children Orphanage.
We are hoping that you will help us honor our son’s memory by donating funds for food and school supplies for the children. So when we get there we are able to buy enough food for the orphanage for a month. Of course we would love to give more than a month’s worth of food to them, but this is a great place to start:
50lb bag of rice - $43 & lasts 5 days- $258/month
50lb bag of beans -$90 & lasts 5 days- $540/month
1 box if Chicken- $60 & lasts for a meal- $240/month we would like to be able to buy a box each week
1 live goat- $80 lasts for a few meals- $320/ month we would like to be able to buy a goat each week
We would also like to buy them cans of tomato paste, canned fish, oil for cooking, veggies, and charcoal. We would like to keep all purchases local in Haiti to support local farmers and store owners there.
School just started for the children and we would like to buys them school supplies while we are there, again trying to keep all purchases local. I teach youth art and plan to spend many hours exploring the minds of the children at the orphanage through art.
If you would like to help us honor our son’s memory, 100% of your donations will be given in his name to the Orphanage when we arrive there on October 8, 2015.
Thank you all for taking the time to read our story and help support these beautiful children in honor of our son, Eric Ray Skow. Sleep sweet our handsome boy. We love you always.
In the afternoon on Friday, October 10th, 2014, four weeks before my due date, I went in for a non stress test which was supposed to last 20 minutes. I was at the Dr office for over an hour. Again everything seemed fine, but the baby's heart rate was staying steady around 155. They sent me to the hospital where they did an ultrasound and said baby still looked great. That changed when the baby's heart rate went from 155 down to 105, twice, and I felt it throughout my whole body. They decided after the second time it dropped to do an emergency C-section.
When the doctor announced it was a boy, Dane and I were completely overjoyed. I remember the look we gave each other when they told us. We named him Eric Ray... Eric, after Dane's late father's middle name and Ray after my father's middle name.
Immediately after Eric was born, the doctors knew he wasn't well and rushed him to another room. He had 3 blood transfusions as he was severely anemic & a number of x-rays that showed his heart was nearly as large as his chest cavity, preventing his lungs from being able to expand properly. A team of neonatal specialists worked to save him for nearly four hours, but simply could not.
Eric Ray passed away from a severe case of Ebstein's Anomaly early in the morning on Saturday, October 11th before Dane or I were able to hold him. It felt like a dream that we couldn't wake up from. All I wanted was to hear his cry and look into his eyes. A chance I will never get.
We are coming up on his 1 year angelversary, which is hard for me to believe. This last year has had its fair share of ups and downs, but our family is strong and we have made it through together. Dane and I have decided to celebrate Eric’s first birthday/angelversary by going to a place that is very near and dear to our family. We will be heading to Haiti for a week to visit The New Life to the Children Orphanage.
We are hoping that you will help us honor our son’s memory by donating funds for food and school supplies for the children. So when we get there we are able to buy enough food for the orphanage for a month. Of course we would love to give more than a month’s worth of food to them, but this is a great place to start:
50lb bag of rice - $43 & lasts 5 days- $258/month
50lb bag of beans -$90 & lasts 5 days- $540/month
1 box if Chicken- $60 & lasts for a meal- $240/month we would like to be able to buy a box each week
1 live goat- $80 lasts for a few meals- $320/ month we would like to be able to buy a goat each week
We would also like to buy them cans of tomato paste, canned fish, oil for cooking, veggies, and charcoal. We would like to keep all purchases local in Haiti to support local farmers and store owners there.
School just started for the children and we would like to buys them school supplies while we are there, again trying to keep all purchases local. I teach youth art and plan to spend many hours exploring the minds of the children at the orphanage through art.
If you would like to help us honor our son’s memory, 100% of your donations will be given in his name to the Orphanage when we arrive there on October 8, 2015.
Thank you all for taking the time to read our story and help support these beautiful children in honor of our son, Eric Ray Skow. Sleep sweet our handsome boy. We love you always.
Organizer
Stephanie Skow
Organizer
Tres Pinos, CA