Tate Casey Gurney

After 2 miscarriages, a failed IUI cycle and a failed IVF transfer we were finally pregnant again with our rainbow baby through IVF with ICSI.

At 10 weeks gestational, Tate was diagnosed with a cystic hygroma and was initially given a 10% survival rate in utero because there was a high likelihood he would develop fetal hydrops. At 16 weeks we were finally able to do an amniocentesis which led to a diagnosis of Noonan Syndrome. Noonan Syndrome occurs in 1 in 1000 - 2500 births. Tate’s diagnosis was a de novo case which means it was a spontaneous mutation. His particular gene that was mutated, PTPN11 is one that is often associated with many complications with the worst being congenital heart defects.

Tate Casey Gurney was born via urgent c-section at 36w3d on April 5, 2022. He spent 25 days in the Lone Peak NICU capturing the hearts of all of his wonderful nurses. He defied the odds and learned to do many things he wasn’t expected to do because many babies with his diagnosis often fail to thrive. He was discharged on his due date of April 30th and we got 1 beautiful month at home before he was required to have open-heart surgery due to the pressures in his heart being too high.

He was such a happy baby that was thriving, gaining weight and starting to cluster feed - which is why we are still in complete disbelief with just how sick his precious little heart was. He loved being snuggled, loved being read to, loved watching black & white stimulation videos, loved his wooden rattle but bath time was probably his most favorite thing. His 2 dog brothers adored him. Due to his heart condition and his anticipated surgery not many people were able to meet Tate in person which is absolutely heart breaking for us.

He went in at exactly 8 weeks old for surgery and devastatingly passed away after many medical complications at exactly 11 weeks old on June 21, 2022. Tate was an absolute dream come true and I feel so incredibly blessed he chose me to be his Mama. Becoming his Mama was such a magical thing and a feeling I miss so much. Losing my only child has by far been the hardest thing I know I will ever experience but I am so proud of the lasting impact he made in his short 11 weeks. Much like everyone in this horrible club, I miss him every minute of the day and wish this wasn’t our reality. Everyday is a struggle and I’m still trying to figure out how to navigate forward in this world with a gaping hole in my heart.

The meaning of Tate - cheerful or the man who brings happiness! He did that indeed. Thank you for letting me share my sweet boy’s story. #TateTheGreat