Kaden Michael Tucker 13q32.2 deletion
September 23 2004 - September 23 2004

Kaden Michael Tucker Born on earth and into heaven on September 23, 2004 Kaden was our first child. Our pregnancy started off quite normal. Our first ultrasound around 8 weeks showed that he was 4 days later than our calculated due date. None of the doctors appeared to be concerned, nor were we. From that ultrasound, Kaden became real. We saw him for the first time and heard his heart beating. I still remember my excitement and thinking how I was going to love this baby more than I could possibly imagine and give him all that I could. On August 24th, our fate and happiness took a turn. We had our “big” ultrasound where you could find out the sex of the baby. To us, Kaden looked like the perfect baby. However, when we met with our doctor afterwards, she told us that he was measuring a little small. Still, though, no alarms were going off. I remember her saying, “five days at this point could be a huge difference in his growth.” So, she sent us to get a high-resolution ultrasound three days later. We were ecstatic in these three days. I began planning how I was going to decorate his nursery, thinking how he’d someday be watching football with his dad, and going shopping with me. On our way to the high-resolution ultrasound, I began to feel nervous. Not that I was expecting bad news. I just thought that our due date would be moved and I was more excited to see clearer images of our baby boy. This is when our lives came crashing down. The doctor told us that our baby’s head was measuring 2-3 weeks behind and that he was sure something was seriously wrong. Jeff and I sat there in silence as he began to talk to us. I thought this couldn’t be real. I asked him if he’d ever seen these types of problems where the baby turns out perfectly fine. He said it was not very likely at all. And he encouraged us to have an amnio to determine what the problem might be. As I signed the release forms, the reality started to set in and I began to cry for my baby. We were expecting 4 separate results. The first set of results came back and ruled out Downs Syndrome and two other chromosome disorders. The next two sets of results came back and ruled out various viral infections. Though we were very encouraged, we knew we had 1 more test to overcome. And we waited longer for the remaining chromosome results. I can remember it as if it just happened. Around 10:30 am on a Tuesday morning my cell phone rang at work. I answered and it was the genetic counselor. They found a deletion on his 13th chromosome. I remember her calling it a “small” deletion. I felt deceived because it gave me hope that it was not that serious. Jeff and I left work and rushed to meet with the specialist and genetic counselor. We began to find out the fate of our dear son. The problem with Kaden’s deletion was that it was quite rare. We were told that there were only 16 reported cases of a deletion on the 13th chromosome. At first, we were told only slight retardation with possible physical abnormalities. We waited again for them to receive an extensive study from a nearby university. Within a couple of days, we were told that he would have severe retardation, probable heart and kidney problems, along with numerous other things. The worst of all was that we were told Kaden might not even make it full term. If he did, they questioned if he would survive childbirth and how long he could live. Jeff and I decided right away that our son needed a name. We briefly discussed that his name should mean something. Kaden was not a name we ever discussed or had written down on our list of possibilities. However, when we found out that Kaden meant ‘fighter’ we knew it fit perfectly. For our little boy to have made it this far with so little proved that he was indeed a ‘fighter’. The next weeks were painful. Filled with such happiness to be near him and yet sadness knowing his struggles inside my belly. We just couldn’t understand why this had to happen to him. We made every effort to cherish our time with him. Looming ahead was a follow-up ultrasound appointment to see Kaden’s progress. What we learned was even more heartbreaking. Kaden’s head had not grown and was now over 7 weeks behind. The swelling around his brain had increased and his little body was measuring a month behind. A few days later, we lost our angel. We were 23 weeks. Kaden was so loved and so wanted. He fought hard to survive for as long as he did with what he was given. However, he is suffering no longer and is resting peacefully in God’s arms. The day he went to heaven was one of the most beautiful days I’ve ever seen. I looked up at the clear blue sky and told my husband, “what a beautiful day to go to heaven.” Jeff and I want to share Kaden’s story to hopefully help someone else that is in a similar situation to know that they are not alone. The most frustrating part was the lack of information available and the fact that the doctors and specialists are learning right along with you. These were the happiest 5 months of our lives and we were blessed to have had him as long as we did. It truly is amazing to realize that even though we never got to meet Kaden, he touched our lives in such a profound way. He brought us so much joy, and he introduced us to the type of unconditional love that only parents can have for their child. Like any other child, he brought us pain and disappointment, hope and joy, love and peace. He was our son. And he did all of this in just the 5 short months we had him. Thank you for letting us share Kaden’s story. Jeff and Heather Tucker thetuckers@insightbb.com

Sincerely, Jeff & Healther Tucker
thetuckers@insightbb.com