A couple who carried out a "bucket list" of trips for their unborn son, who suffered from a fatal condition, say they feel blessed he could spend his brief life with people who loved him.
The Haley family announced on Facebook Thursday that Shane Michael Haley was born at 2:25 a.m. He died less than four hours later.
Shane's father, Dan Haley, told the couple's hundreds of thousands of Facebook followers that Shane died peacefully in the arms of his mother, Jenna. Jenna was three months pregnant when she learned the baby had a fatal condition called anencephaly that leaves the brain unformed.
The couple celebrated the pregnancy by documenting visits to their favorite childhood places with their unborn child. They visited the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, rode the Strasburg Railroad, went to the Empire State Building in New York and visited other places.
Babies born with anencephaly typically live only a few hours or days.
At 6:15 a.m., Dan posted, "After meeting his entire family and being baptized into the Catholic faith, baby Shane died peacefully in his Mother's arms .. we are so grateful for the time that we were blessed to hold and hug our son .. the support and prayers we have received from all of you have been amazing and we want to thank each of you with all our hearts .. Shane spent his entire life in the arms of people that loved him unconditionally and I don't think you could ask for a more beautiful life then that .. he is home now with the Lord and will forever be our little miracle!"
See Jenna's pregnancy and how the family celebrated Shane on the family's Facebook page.
