Gabriel's journey through life

Two days after Christmas, Kelly and Ben Meehan were excited as they went to get an ultrasound of their third pregnancy and to find out if the child moving in Kelly's womb was a boy or a girl. Throughout the ultrasound, their two year-old daughter, Gracie, continually stroked and kissed her mother's stomach, as she told "her baby" how much she loved him or her. But for some reason the ultrasound technician was acting strange and told them that they "needed to go and see their doctor right now concerning the baby's results."

Kelly was in a state of shock as a doctor, not their regular doctor who wasn't in the office that day, explained that their child had a condition called anencephaly. The condition, which was before unknown to the Meehans, leaves children with brains, spinal cords, and/or skulls that will never fully develop. Sometime during the third to fourth week of pregnancy, their neural tubes don't close, which results in the lack of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp. Many of these children are stillborn and the children who live to birth will usually only live for a few hours after they are born.

Their world came crashing down. Kelly says that "after telling us all of the details and that our baby had no chance of surviving, the doctor told us that he normally terminates these pregnancies. We left the office in a state of shock and full of tears. Although, for a second, it did cross my mind this was our precious baby and we knew we would not be able to ‘terminate the pregnancy.'"

Two weeks later, Kelly and Ben had another ultrasound and found out that their child was a boy. That night they named him Gabriel.

To prepare for the birth and death of her child, Kelly spent hours on the internet learning about anencephaly and reading the stories of other women whose children had been diagnosed with this condition. She also began putting together a scrapbook and she worked to form a bond with her unborn son as she recorded into her memory "his movements and his temperaments, what he liked and disliked (food, noise, etc.), when he was playful and when he was sleeping," knowing that the time she spent with him would be cut short. Through these tough times, their friends, family, and church supported them with "cards, phone calls, and millions of prayers."

Gabriel was born around noon on April 15, 2003. As he struggled to stay alive, his family was able to hold him, to take pictures, and show him their love for the 10 hours that he lived after he was born. After his death, Ben made a mold of Gabriel's hand and foot so they would always be able to hold his hand and foot and see every line and wrinkle, every fingernail and toenail.

The family was able to say their good-byes to Gabriel at an open casket viewing for the immediate family and a grave side burial service.

Kelly says that if she had chosen abortion, "we would have never been able to hold and kiss our beautiful Gabriel. We would have never been able to play with him or look into his beautiful eyes. We would have never been able to love him and have him love us. We would have never been able to see his precious smile. Gabriel gave so much to many and if we had chosen abortion, he never would have made his imprint in the hearts of those he touched."

Kelly's message to other families who have a child diagnosed with anencephaly is, "If you make the choice to let your baby live, it is my hope and prayer that you will be able to enjoy every second of his/her life, inside and outside of your womb. I hope that you may get excited about your baby's entrance into this world and celebrate his/her birth with hope and joy."

The end of Gabriel's obituary reads, "In his short life, he knew nothing but unconditional love, and touched the hearts and souls of many. He continues to impact the world with the decision of choosing life for a little boy whose hours on this earth were numbered, but was given the chance to fulfill his purpose, and then, unto a heavenly destiny."

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