Dylan James Wiley

Three weeks ago, my sister Lesley and brother in law Jeff welcomed their precious son Dylan James. Teeny tiny in body but strong and bright in spirit, Dylan spent two very special days getting to know his parents and saying hello to the rest of his family, who all fell in love with him at first sight. It's hard to explain how such a little guy could make such an impact from inside his incubator while hooked up to all sorts of breathing, feeding and monitoring apparatuses but Dylan's strong, calm presence was clear to all of us that had the great fortune of meeting him.
Dylan was born at 24 weeks after Les was diagnosed with a very dangerous form of preeclampisa called HELLP syndrome. Lesley and Jeff faced her diagnosis, and Dylan's birth with the same courage, strength and togetherness that they are known for... (I think we can all still see the look on their faces when Les crutched down the aisle after her car accident four years ago). They spent their precious time with Dylan proudly introducing him to his grandparents, aunties and uncles, reading him stories, talking to him, holding his teeny hands and telling him how much they loved him. They also shared with Dylan all of the messages of love and support that they received from family and friends after his birth.
Dylan received the best care possible from one of the best NICUs in the country while lying on a handmade quilt and wearing a tiny knit hat that were provided by this amazing facility. Jeff and Lesley could not be more grateful for the care that the three of them received. Heartbreakingly, despite all of this, Dylan's little lungs were not able to handle the hard work they had to do.

There is no making sense of this. It has been absolutely crushing to see two people I love so much go through something that seems so unfair and so wrong. However, the amount of love and support that has poured in for Lesley and Jeff and the rest of our family has been incredible. Watching my little sis and her husband face this with the amount of bravery that they have has been awe inspiring to say the least. And most importantly, there is no question that Dylan knows how much he was loved. We are all finding some peace in that.

We Love You Dylan!!!!