Nicole and Shane Sifrit’s joy was complete when they tied the knot in front of friends and family with their newborn daughter Mariana by their sides.
However, two hours later, the newlyweds' happiness turned to despair when little Mariana became seriously ill with a life-threatening condition, according to NBC.
Nicole and Shane had to abandon their wedding to rush their week-old daughter to hospital, when they noticed she wasn’t feeding and wouldn’t wake up.
At the hospital, the terrified parents found out Mariana had Meningitis HSV, a form of meningitis caused by the herpes simplex virus which is also responsible for cold sores.
Both parents were tested for the virus but tests came back negative, meaning Mariana must have caught it from someone else that had interacted with her in the week since she was born.
Little Mariana was admitted to NICU, where her condition took a turn for the worse. She stopped breathing on her own and her organs began failing. The hospital arranged for her to be transferred by air ambulance to another hospital where she was placed on life-support.
The little girl is still battling for her life in hospital and her future is uncertain. If she survives her fight, doctors have warned that she may have long-term health complications.
“She has a kidney team, a liver team, a blood team, a neurology team,” Nicole explained.
Her devastated parents want to warn other parents of how easily this virus can be transmitted, in the hopes they can prevent such heartbreak happening in another family.
“Don’t let people kiss your baby and make sure they ask before they pick up your baby,” a devastated Nicole advised.
“They touch her and then she touches her mouth with her hand,” she said, explaining how Mariana had caught the deadly virus.
Heartbroken dad Shane said "I always thought this stuff happens and it's a shame and never thought it would happen to me. I was not prepared at all.”
The Meningitis Research Foundation says that it is hard to prevent the spread of viral meningitis but encourages proper handwashing as a good precaution.
It’s an incredibly heartbreaking story and we cannot even imagine the pain and fear Shane and Nicole are facing right now.
A GoFundMe has been set up to cover the family’s hospital bills if you would like to donate, click here.
