Baby born to swine flu victim dies at Seattle hospital

[Ronan Kelly]

Baby born to swine flu victim dies at Seattle hospital
By KOMO Staff

Abbey Flyte, who was born while her mother was in a coma due to swine flu complications, died Sunday evening in father's arms after being taken off life support.



Story Published: Feb 22, 2010 at 1:02 PM PST
Story Updated: Feb 22, 2010 at 1:22 PM PST
Abbey Flyte

SEATTLE -- A baby girl born to a Puyallup woman who died last summer of swine flu died Sunday after being taken off life support at Children's Hospital in Seattle.
Abbey Flyte would have been 8 months old at the end of February.

Her mother, Katie Flyte, was six months pregnant when she slipped into a coma due to complications from swine flu.

Doctors delivered Abbey several weeks premature, and Katie died without ever knowing she gave birth.

On February 1, Kenny Flyte checked on the little girl in bed and saw that she wasn't breathing.

He started CPR, but Abbey was unresponsive. Doctors believe Kenny found his daughter in the middle of a SIDS episode, but they don't know how long the girl wasn't breathing.

She was rushed to the hospital where Kenny remained by her side.

The girl's aunt, Jill Brehan, said doctors twice tried to take the baby girl off a ventilator, but she could not breath without assistance.

Doctors believe the girl might have suffered oxygen deprivation in the womb when her mother stopped breathing.

On Sunday, her family put Abbey in a pink dress and held a baptism service before removing the girl from life support.

She died in her father's arms.

Abbey "looked like a porcelain doll," Brehan said, because the girl was no longer hooked up to feeding and breathing tubes.

Doctors said the girl is an organ donor and may be able to help save several lives.

She will be buried next to her mother in their hometown of Puyallup.

Kenny is back home taking care of his other son, Jacob, who is 2 1/2 years old, Brehan said.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/84982912.html

 

[ms4920]

Re: Baby born to swine flu victim dies at Seattle hospital

What a tear jerker, at least she is now with her mom forever

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Baby born to swine flu victim dies at Seattle hospital

An article from February 4th:

Baby whose mom died from swine flu fighting for own life

SEATTLE -- The baby born to a Puyallup woman who died this summer of swine flu complications is now fighting for her life. Abbey Flyte stopped breathing this week and is in intensive care.

When we first met Kenny Flyte last summer, his world was falling apart. He'd lost his job and his pregnant wife Katie was losing her battle with swine flu.

"It's just a nightmare," he said.

In a coma, Katie underwent a C-section, and delivered a daughter who weighed just under 3 pounds.

Katie didn't live to see Abigail Marie join her brother Jacob at home.

"It's momma's eyes looking right at me," Kenny Flyte said of Abbey last October. "Big ol' brown tear-jerkers."

But Monday night when Kenny checked on Abbey in bed, she wasn't breathing. She was face down with milk coming out her nose and mouth.

Kenny says he started CPR, but Abbey was unresponsive.

He thinks he found Abbey in the middle of a SIDS episode, and doesn't know how long she wasn't breathing or if she suffered brain damage.

Today, he says his little girl is mostly breathing on her own at Children's Hospital and seems more responsive; her heart rate jumped when she heard her father's voice.

But he wonders how much one man can take.

"No one should have to go through this, no one," he said.

Kenny Flyte says these things happen to babies and families every day, but they just seem to keep happening to him.

His late wife comes from a big family and they are helping watch his son Jacob while he's devoting his time to Abbey.

If you'd like to help, you can donate online to the KOMO Problem Solvers fund.

http://www.kval.com/news/health/83503217.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Baby born to swine flu victim dies at Seattle hospital

From Roro's link:

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Abbey Flyte

Katie Flyte