Casen Steele Riley
8/31/09 - 3/5/10
You may have heard of a student who went into cardiac arrest while playing on the athletic field or of a baby who died in their sleep. Chances are, pediatric cardiomyopathy was the cause. I had never heard about pediatric cardiomyopathy until October 4, 2009 – this was the day physicians at Cook Children’s Medical Center told my husband and I that our 2 month-old son, Casen, had Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
Casen was born August 31, 2009, 10 weeks early, so his lungs were underdeveloped but other than that he seemed healthy. One day his heart rate rose to over 240 beats per minute and that is when he was diagnosed. The doctors put him on heart medication and we thought everything was fine, until one day he was in the hospital for RSV and his heart went into cardiac dysrhythmia. We lost our only child when he was only 6 months old. It is too late for him, but it is not too late for the thousands of families whose child is at risk or diagnosed with the disease.
Casen was a precious little man with infectious brown eyes and an unforgettable smile. He loved being held and talked to. He was a fighter and never gave up until the end.
Casen was born August 31, 2009, 10 weeks early, so his lungs were underdeveloped but other than that he seemed healthy. One day his heart rate rose to over 240 beats per minute and that is when he was diagnosed. The doctors put him on heart medication and we thought everything was fine, until one day he was in the hospital for RSV and his heart went into cardiac dysrhythmia. We lost our only child when he was only 6 months old. It is too late for him, but it is not too late for the thousands of families whose child is at risk or diagnosed with the disease.
Casen was a precious little man with infectious brown eyes and an unforgettable smile. He loved being held and talked to. He was a fighter and never gave up until the end.
Pictures of Casen
Intorduction to the wubbanub.
1st bottle feeding
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Daddy's 1st time to hold him.
1st night at home
After g-button surgery.
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Momma's 1st time to hold him.
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