'I Knew That She Was Gone:' Mom Takes Daughter off Life Support to Say Goodbye, She Keeps Breathing

Seven-month-old Phoenix had been on life support for a week when her mother, Monique Goldring, told doctors to take her off life support. Afterward, doctors gave her six hours to live, but the hour came, yet little Phoenix continued breathing.

Maryland lady, Monique Goldring, had just given birth to her first child, Phoenix, when doctors diagnosed the beautiful baby girl with a heart defect called double outlet right ventricle.

The deficiency meant her heart could not adequately disseminate oxygen around her body. So in a bid to save her life, doctors conducted two out of four palliative surgeries the child needed to put a shunt in her heart.

Phoenix was just seven months old in April 2019, when she suddenly started bleeding from the nose. Goldring tried rushing her baby girl to the hospital, but en route, Phoenix had turned blue and was no longer breathing.

Goldring knew her daughter was dead, and on getting to the hospital, doctors put the little girl on life support. Phoenix was on life support for a month because the sudden cardiac arrest had resulted in severe brain damage.

After weeks of checking in on her daughter, the new mother could see that her baby was tired. So, she sadly asked the doctors to disconnect the ventilator helping little Phoenix breathe.

They told her the baby would die after six hours, so Goldring waited patiently, watching her baby and dreading the heartbreaking moment little Phoenix would take her last breath.

Miraculously, Phoenix continued breathing longer than six hours. In fact, according to her mother, the little girl began to thrive.

CONTINUOUS MEDICAL CHALLENGES

Even though Phoenix stayed alive and was later released from the hospital on hospice status, doctors warned that the little girl would continue to face medical issues.

They could not perform the remaining palliative surgeries to reroute her blood flow because they believed she would likely not survive it.

Phoenix would also soon outgrow the shunt they put in her heart, which would be lethal. Goldring was heartbroken when she heard all this, and the mother explained that the longer her daughter lived, the more difficult it got for her to come to terms with the situation.

However, she hoped a physician would hear about their story and be willing to take a chance and attempt the remaining surgeries before Phoenix would outgrow the shunt in her heart.

MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Even though the odds are stacked against them, Goldring declared her focus is firmly on the little progress and milestones her daughter reached daily. She was looking forward to seeing Phoenix's first teeth grow, which seemed impossible at the beginning of her health problems.

The mother of one revealed that falling apart would not change anything about their situation, and since little Phoenix has stayed strong, she would take her strength from the baby.

Goldring was also looking forward to celebrating Phoenix's first birthday, which was on August 25, and the mother of one was going to make it like a typical first birthday party.

Activities planned include face painting and loads of meals for family and friends who turn up to celebrate the little girl.

Also, Phoenix had developed a considerable fan base due to her story, and many even donated to her GoFundMe page to aid with her medical fees.

The positive actions gladdened Goldring, and even though what the future held was uncertain, she was nonetheless excited for whatever would come next.