Schafer, Briana

My name is Amy. In February 2000, I found out I was carrying a little girl. Not too long after that, my husband and I found out that she had a diaphragmatic hernia. We were devastated. Along with my husband and his mother, I went and checked out some special medical centers. We finally chose Boston Children’s Hospital.

On June 16, 2001, baby Briana was born. She had her surgery the very next morning and did a great job. The doctors told us she would not be able to come home until the end of September. She spent two weeks in the NICU and was doing well, so she was then put out on the floor.

After one day on the floor, the respirator came out. My family and I were so excited. A couple weeks later, the oxygen came off, and it was time to learn how to bottle-feed. It took many nipples and many days, but after only two weeks she did it. It is now August 16, and she has been home for one whole week . She has had her ups and downs, but she is a strong fighter. She has no feeding tubes and is very precious.

I would like to tell all the new and upcoming Cherub parents simply this: Miracles do happen. We were prepared for the worst possible outcome, but we were one of the lucky ones, and you could be one, too. I'd like to thank you for hearing my story, and we pray for all the other little angels that are out there. For anyone that has any questions, or just needs someone to talk to:

P.S.- I would like to thank Cherubs for all the info that was sent when I was still pregnant. Other people’s phone numbers and addresses were extremely helpful and gave me people I could talk to at any time. Their stories and children gave us a lot of faith. Thank you so much.


Written by Briana's Mom, Amy Schafer (Connecticut)
2001