A mother in Grand Rapids, Michigan, gave birth last week, on Monday, February 20, but she tragically lost another daughter just days later. Amanda O’Brien had to face every parent’s worst nightmare. Just days later, on Wednesday, one of her older children was pronounced legally dead, after being brought to the hospital with numerous injuries.
O’Brien's daughter, Kaiyanni, was not even 2 years old when she died. Kaiyanni and her other siblings were left with a couple O'Brien had known for the past three years while she was being induced with her fourth child at the hospital. O’Brien told Fox 17 on Friday, “I was a mother of four girls and now I have three."
O'Brien had recently been in a car accident.
The mom of three had to go to the hospital after being hit by another car on Monday, February 13, because the steering wheel hit her belly and she lost feeling in her legs. She was told to go to the hospital by her OB-GYN, and she remained there until she could be induced safely.
“I woke up [in the delivery room], seen I had a missed call from the people my children were with … I called them back, and she informed me that Kaiyanni was throwing up, and that her stomach was bloated. I said ‘Take her to the Children's Hospital and I'll meet you downstairs,'" O'Brien told Fox 17. Sadly, this was the beginning of a tragic loss for O’Brien and her family.
Kaiyanni was rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance.
After receiving additional phone calls from the couple supervising her children, O’Brien learned that Kaiyanni was in an ambulance. According to Fox 17, when O’Brien was told by staff to go downstairs to check on her daughter, she said, “I saw 30 medical staff surrounding Kaiyanni trying to revive her because she didn't have a heartbeat. Moments later, the doctors came out and told me they were rushing her to emergency surgery because she had blunt force trauma to her abdomen.”
The following day, she was induced and gave birth to her baby as her older daughter recovered from surgery. "Right after I pushed her out, I had them clean me up, and immediately removed my epidural so I could get upstairs to Kaiyanni," O'Brien said. Not long after, she was informed by several doctors that brain scans showed her daughter was brain dead.
In a statement to Fox 17, the mother revealed that she decided “to do this thing called 'the walk of honor' and donate all of her organs, so she can live on through other people.”
"It was hard for me to hold my baby when she was first born, when she first came out, because I couldn’t fathom bringing her home … while her big sister was not coming home with me," the grieving mother said.
Police have launched an investigation.
According to Fox 17, the Grand Rapids Police Department said on Friday it is still investigating the case. So far, there have not been any arrests made in connection with Kaiyanni’s death.
'She loved her sisters so much and everyone around her loved her outgoing personality.'
A GoFundMe campaign has been started by family friend, Katlin Morris, to help the O’Brien family with funeral costs and medical expenses. Donations can be given to support them during this tragic time.
"When the lord called little Kaiyanni home her family was not ready," the fundraiser description reads. "Such a loving soul, who loved to play baby dolls, watch coco melon and play with her big sisters. She loved her sisters so much and everyone around her loved her outgoing personality." Morris also indicates on the GoFundMe page that Kaiyanni was "beaten by her sitter."
According to Fox 17, the Members of the Greater Grand Rapids Scanner Calls Facebook group have been circulating the campaign and offering their online support with hopes of raising $10,000. So far, more than $5,750 has been raised.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
