Because of a congenital cardiac abnormality, Valentina Garnetti’s short life was cut short.
The most difficult post I’ve ever had to write has been this one,” says the author. Mother Francesca stated on Facebook that her daughter’s death had changed everything. In the arms of my mother, Valentina breathed her last.
In April of 2021, Valentina gained national news for the first time since being discharged from the University of Michigan’s CS Mott Children’s Hospital. She had spent every day when she was born in May 2019 until March 2021 in the hospital owing to a hypoplastic left heart syndrome diagnosis.
Half a heart is a common nickname for it.
Valentina was hospitalized for 14 days and endured various procedures over the span of approximately 700 days, including four open heart surgery.
Her third open heart surgery occurred at 3 12 months old, following which her mother Francesca remarked, “She was really unwell.” Francesca is a single mother of three daughters.
The hospital commemorated significant events such as birthdays and anniversaries for the longest period.
Even though Francesca and her family had to spend Christmas alone due to COVID-19, “it was tough since no one could come to the hospital, so it was just us enjoying Christmas together.”
However, Valentina was finally able to leave the hospital on March 24, 2021. For the first time, she was allowed to enjoy life outside of the hospital.
In other words, “She’s not only here, but she’s also happy and flourishing.” Although she uses a feeding tube, needs a lot of medicine, and is on oxygen, “she has a great attitude about life,” her mother added.
As a result, she’s been spending a lot of time in the hospital and with her loved ones.
Along with her several operations, Valentina had to deal with other complications, such as strokes, epilepsy, and allergic responses.
But Valentina was tenacious.
Francesca made an urgent appeal for prayers on July 16. When the paramedics arrived, they discovered that Valentina had stopped breathing and was without a pulse.
In the early hours of the morning, Valentina’s grandma held her, and she stopped breathing, according to a GoFundMe put up to raise money for the family.
Francesca performed CPR as soon as she realized that her daughter had stopped breathing and continued until paramedics came. After a 90-minute wait at the hospital, life-saving procedures were unsuccessful in reviving Valentina.
In her Facebook post, Francesca said, “My daughter battled so hard for so long, and her body was simply weary.”
Her daughter is now “healthy in paradise with a heart that is no longer damaged, and she can run, walk, speak, eat and do all the things that she enjoyed seeing other people do” this gave Francesca some peace of mind after her loss.
This family’s plight crushes my heart. Their experiences in such a short period of time have been harrowing.
Please join me in praying for them at this terribly difficult time.
