* We do not have a final number for how much this will cost-- $5000 is an estimate. If we bring in more, the funds will go DIRECTLY into our funeral, burial and cremation fund and will be given to the next family in need. Last year, we were able to pay for funeral, cremation or burial expenses for nearly half of our families.

"It's too hard for me. I feel like I'm dying inside. All I want is my princess's body to be resting in my place".

These are the words of baby Itzayana's mother, Flor. She and her husband Eduardo, with their daughter Dayana, arrived just about a year ago to Springfield, MA from their home in Cuilco, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Cuilco is in the Cuchumatanes Mountains, about 100 miles north of the west coast of Guatemala. It's the place where the paved road ends, and where most of the people who live there are ethnically Mam Maya. It's home, and how different that home must be from Springfield, Massachusetts.

When they found out they were expecting a baby early last summer, Flor and Eduardo were so thrilled to be welcoming a baby sister for Dayana. But the news wasn't good when they discovered their baby had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This congenital malformation means that the left side of the heart, which is supposed to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body, isn't formed. While many babies with HLHS can survive for a couple of days, without major surgery in the first few days of life all will die. Neither wanting their daughter to suffer, nor having the funds for extensive hospital stays in Boston, Flor and Eduardo made the difficult decision to elect for comfort care only when their baby was born.

The Perinatal Palliative Care team at Baystate helped to make the plans with Flor and Eduardo for Itzayana's care after her birth. It was everyone's hope that she would have a couple of days with her family, and indeed when she was born on Thursday, January 27th, she was robust and thriving. Immediately, plans went into place to get Itzayana, her parents, and her sister home where they could be together, under the constant care of the hospice team, for Itzayana's short life.

Itzayana was baptized, she was bathed, changed, and loved. She was fed, she was held, she was kissed and hugged and cuddled. For three beautiful days, the family was home together, and Itzayana was beautiful, and looked perfect. It was borrowed time, they all knew, but it was beautiful time.

On Monday morning, Itzayana began to decline, and she was admitted to the NICU. Though they had considered having her pass at home, they decided they would appreciate the support of the team during those last difficult hours. Sadly, less than 24 hours after her admission, baby Itzayana died.

Empty Arms was immediately contacted for support, and of course we came forward and offered whatever was needed. It seemed the place the family needed the most support was in arrangements for Itzayana's final resting place, something that we do for most of the families we work with. We promised Flor and Eduardo not to worry about the cost, because over the years with the combination of our burial and cremation fund and our knowledge of the best funeral homes, most affordable infant plots, and most compassionate funeral directors we rarely have our families paying even a penny towards their expenses if they require financial assistance. Typically, as an organization we have about $300 to spend on a family, but we are able to make that work.

But this, it turns out, would be different. Their dearest hope, the thing they needed most? To send Itzayana back to Guatemala. Flor and Eduardo do not wish to bury their little girl here. They want to return her home: to the mountains, to her people, to the land of her family and her ancestors. This will cost $5,000. Initially, we thought: this is impossible.

But a little voice said "maybe".

So here we are: can we do this? Can Empty Arms pool together our resources to raise funds especially for this family so that we can make their dream of laying Itzayana to rest come true? We think we can. We are a large community of families who love each other, who love our babies, and who are all invested in making other families' loss experiences more manageable. So whether you are someone who can bypass your morning coffee and give $5, or whether you're someone who can say no to tonight's pizza and give $15, or whether you've got a savings account and can give $100-- I truly believe that together we can make this happen for these parents.

Thank you so much. Please share if you're able to.

Send baby Itzayana home...

By Empty Arms Bereavement Support

Send baby Itzayana home...

Let's help Flor and Eduardo send their baby girl home to her final resting place.

Team Members