In Oklahoma, Abbey and Robert Ahern found out that their unborn daughter had anencephaly, which is a severe form of spina bifida that causes the baby’s brain and skull to never fully develop, including the neocortex. As LifeNews previously reported, over 95% of parents opt for abortion after finding out that their unborn child has the condition.
Despite their daughter’s grim diagnosis, the Aherns refused abortion and decided to spend as much time with their baby as they were given. Little Annie was born on June 26th, 2013 and only lived for 14 hours and 58 minutes. Abbey said, “I will always look back on that time and that day with such joy because it was one of the most beautiful days of my life. And that’s amazing that you can say that about the day you lose a child.”
Abbey said the following about Annie’s life on her blog: “Annie is our third daughter. She was diagnosed with anencephaly at 19 weeks gestation. She was born on June 26, 2013 at 8:36 am, and passed away at 11:34 pm the same day, and she became the very first infant organ donor in the state of Oklahoma. Annie was so much more than her mere moments on this earth. She has changed me in an undeniable way, and I pray she does the same for you. Thank you for taking the time to meet our sweet little pistol.”
The Ahern’s also had a photographer come take pictures of Annie with her other siblings before she passed away. Abbey said, “The pictures she got of the girls with their sister I will cherish as long as I live.” According to Fox 25 News, this week marks Annie’s second birthday and instead of having a party in memory of her, they are asking friends and family on social media to do acts of kindness. In fact, Abbey even created business cards with her request and passed them out to people in her town.
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Additionally, Abbey and Robert are asking other families to share their stories on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #pistolannieahern. Remarkably, hundreds of people have responded to Abbey’s request and now they’re giving out cards at local businesses. Abbey said, “The response was overwhelming. We went through the first 500 cards in 24 hours. I have no idea how big or how long this is going to go and I’m excited for that.”
Although the Aherns miss their daughter and are still grieving her death, they also know that Annie will never be forgotten. Abbey concluded, “She was so much bigger than 14 hours and 58 minutes. She was far bigger than that.”
Learn more about Annie’s incredible legacy by watching the video below.
