Photos of a baby boy who lived for 10 days with a fatal genetic condition have captivated the hearts of thousands across the world after his Christian parents uploaded pictures to social media websites.
Chicago-based Robbyn Blick and her husband, Josh, were told their child had Edwards syndrome—a chromosomal condition causing internal organ defects—at 20 weeks.
Doctors warned the Blicks that even if baby Zion were to survive pregnancy and labor, he was unlikely to live for longer than a few minutes outside the womb.
But Robbyn Blick said, “Our choice is always life and giving him a chance.”
Zion Isaiah was born Jan. 11, weighing just 4 pounds and 7 ounces.
The Blicks, who have four other sons, decided to upload pictures to the photo-sharing website Instagram with the hashtag “#iheartzion” to document the precious moments they had with their son.
Baby Zion was able to be looked after at home, and Robbyn Blick said, “I literally didn’t put him down until he was one week old. He was held and loved and cherished for every minute of 10 days.”
The family had a birthday party for Zion when he was a week old, celebrating with a cake, banners and singing.
But by day nine, baby Zion wasn’t feeding properly and struggled to breathe. The following day, Jan. 21, he passed away, with his family huddled around him.
The Blicks produced a short film for the video-sharing platform Vimeo, sharing precious moments of their son’s life.
On the video, Robbyn Blick said, “My sweet, precious Zion, you are my gift. Every breath you took was a moment to inhale the perfection of God’s beauty. Every beat of your heart was a measure of love.”
Josh Blick said, “You did more in your 10 days on earth than I could ever hope to. This is the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. But I want you to know that I’m so proud of you.”
The family thanked God for “sharing” Zion with them and said his short life taught them about God’s love and hope after death.
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