Hi, and welcome to
Brianna's page. We are Mike and Cathy Hroncich and would like to
share our precious daughter with you. We had been trying to have
a child for 5 years with no success, then on our 5-year
anniversary we took a cruise and Brianna was conceived. Two weeks
later I started feeling a little different and decided to get a
pregnancy test. Mike had been out that night and wanted me to
wait till the weekend but I just couldn't. On November 5th I took
the test and nearly fainted, IT WAS POSITIVE!! When Mike came
home I had him sit down so I could tell him the news. He was so
excited but still had to check the test to be sure. I called the
doctor the next day and got my vitamins and my first appointment
for December 2nd. We decided not to tell anyone about the
pregnancy because we were scared of something going wrong. By
Thanksgiving though it seemed that everyone knew, we were just so
excited. Everything went well, I was tired and nauseous in the
mornings and early afternoon but otherwise I felt great. On
February 2nd I had an alpha-fetoprotein test and got a call
from my doctor on the night of the 5th explaining to me that I
was at a high risk of having a baby with downs syndrome or spina
biffida. The next day I had an appointment to have a level II
ultrasound and an amnio. What a week that was for us, waiting,
wondering and just plain scared to death. I was at work on
February 13th and the doctor's office called to say that all was
OK. I started crying I was so happy. I was about to hang up when
she asked if I wanted to know the sex, all along I did but I was
so worried about everything that I forgot all about it for the
moment. The nurse said that she hoped I would get pink roses for
Valentines Day. I was having a GIRL!! I called Mike who was home
that day and he fell to his knees and nearly dropped the phone.
We both cried tears of happiness. I couldn't have asked for a
better Valentines Day gift.
The pregnancy went along well; I was feeling good and planning
for our daughter. She was officially Brianna Nicole and we
referred to her as that all the time. We picked out furniture, a
border and paint for her room. We wanted everything to be perfect
for her. By the middle of May my ankles started swelling up and I
was told to elevate my legs after I got home from work. I
followed the doctor's orders to a "T" and Mike was
wonderful through it all. He did all the cleaning, cooking and
laundry and took perfect care of Brianna and I. Mike would talk
to her at night and tell her that he couldn't wait to see her. Of
course she was up all night long just waiting for Daddy to talk
to her. I remember Mike pressing into my belly and Brianna would
kick back and move all around. I loved that feeling. I was
getting more and more excited as the days passed. My last day of
work was June 5th because I was so swollen. Brianna wasn't
expected till July 17th, but I had a feeling that she wouldn't
wait that long. My dad was visiting from Florida at the end of
June and I remember telling him that he should have come a little
later so he could see his new granddaughter. Mike's parents were
celebrating their wedding anniversary on the 27th and his sister
and family, his parents and us all went out to dinner to a
restaurant called Brianna's (guess who picked the restaurant?).
We had a nice dinner and all came back afterwards for a little
while. As soon as everyone left my water broke. Of course I
wasn't packed or anything and Mike was a nervous wreck, he called
my brother and was asking him what to do and I was laughing so
hard at him. He ran around the house trying to pack for me and
fell down the stairs trying to rush to get things together. We
called the doctor and were told that we could head to the
hospital. I wanted to shower first because I knew that it would
be a long night. I remember thinking that the next time I would
be in the car it would be taking Brianna home with us.
When we arrived at the hospital I was hooked up to all the
monitors and was told to try and get some rest because the next
day I would need all my energy. I was given something to help my
contractions along and by 4pm on the 28th I started to push. I
was told that by 6pm I should have my little girl. The doctor
came in again and said that he didn't think she could fit through
the birth canal and he may have to do a C-section. I began to get
scared. The nurse was able to see her dark brown hair and I
thought I was pretty close. She then said that there was a knot
on her head and thought it was impossible for her to fit. At 6pm
they decided to do a C-section. My brother, sister-in-law and a
family friend arrived at the hospital just before I was scheduled
to go in. My dad was on his way back to Florida and decided to
turn around to see his new granddaughter too. My brother came in
to wish me well then went off to the waiting room with the
others. I was taken into the OR and within minutes Brianna was
born. She came at 6:39pm and weighed in at 7lbs 1oz and was 19
½" long. I just cried when I saw her, I couldn't believe
what I had just done. Mike was at her side snapping pictures and
grinning from ear to ear. Brianna and her Daddy left the room and
I was being closed up. I couldn't wait to hold my baby; I had
waited so long for her. As soon as I was in recovery I was able
to see Brianna again. She was so perfect, had all her fingers and
toes and a ton of hair (I know what they say about heartburn is
true). The nurses took her footprints and handprints and
decorated a card for me that they all signed. We had a lot of
attention since she was the only baby born that day.
The next couple of days I was sore but walked to the nursery
every morning to bring her to my room and we would spend the
whole day together. The nurses had to take her away a few times
for baths and her morning and afternoon check-up. I was released
from the hospital in 3 days instead of 4 and we came home on
Wednesday, July 1st. I was so happy to finally bring Brianna
home. Mike and I spent the next week or so sleeping in the living
room and dining room since I couldn't do the stairs all that
well. We would love to watch her sleep; she would tuck her hands
under her face and would look so sweet. She hardly ever cried and
was a good little sleeper too. At 3 weeks she slept through the
night much to my chagrin and would get up occasionally for a
bottle and go right back to sleep. We were pretty lucky in that
regard. At 4 weeks she got up screaming one night and we both
jumped up in fear, she was screaming for a bottle and seemed to
want to eat more and more. I called the doctor and the nurse said
that I should bring her in and that maybe the doctor will put her
on a little rice cereal to satisfy her. I remembered giving my
niece cereal very young and thought it was a good idea. Well, she
loved it and again slept through the night for us. At 6 weeks we
had her Christened and she looked like a precious little angel in
her Christening Outfit. We had a big party with about 80 of our
friends and family. She was so much more alert by now and smiling
more and more everyday. I spent a lot of time reading her books
and singing and dancing with her and she would just look at me
and smile. I was the happiest Mom in the world.
In the days following her Christening we noticed that she began
to spit up a little more than normal and called the doctor. We
brought her into the office and the doctor said that she may have
Pyloric Stenosis but not to worry that it is easily corrected by
a minor surgery. I was frightened but wanted to do whatever I had
to do for her. The doctor called the next morning, which was
Saturday and asked if I could get her to the hospital for an
ultrasound in the next hour. We arrived and were taken right away
and the ultrasound was done and all that was found was a little
gas, but I was asked to go back to the doctor's office anyway.
When I got to the doctor I was put in an examining room and
Brianna was checked and weighed again and I was asked to sit in
the doctor's office. I remember being very scared sitting there.
My fears were right. The doctor came in and told me that she had
good news and bad news. The good news was Brianna did not have
Pyloric Stenosis but the radiologist had found lumps on her
liver. My heart fell to my stomach and I just cried my baby was
not sick. She explained all the different things that it could be
but I was still in a state of shock. She thought that it was
Hemangioendothelioma (benign tumors of the liver) but would need
to do more tests to be sure. I don't remember driving home after
that. I now had to tell Mike and he was at work. When he picked
up the phone I just cried and he drove home in a panic. He went
to the doctor's office and the doctor explained everything to him
then she decided that we should go back and have some blood work
done. We went back and the blood tests all came out normal but we
were still scared. The following Monday, Aug 17th we saw a cancer
specialist and he checked her over and found her to be healthy
but her liver was enlarged. The next day we had a C-Scan and a
chest x-ray to make sure that no other organs were affected.
Brianna was a real trooper through it all. She was wrapped up
tightly in sheets so that we didn't have to sedate her, and she
just laid there sucking on her binky. I was with her the entire
time and Mike was in with the radiologists watching them take her
pictures. I was torn between watching Brianna and watching Mike's
face for some sort of sign that everything would be OK. I saw him
smiling and felt that this nightmare was over but it had just
begun for us. No one could be sure that it was Hemangioma's so we
went from surgeon to surgeon and ended up at Columbia
Presbyterian Babies Hospital in New York where we met a fine
surgeon who we really liked. He spoke to us in terms we could
understand and explained all of our options. He felt we should
have an MRI of her liver to see if we could get a better picture.
So on Monday, Aug. 24th Brianna had an MRI and another
ultrasound. The next day we received a call saying that they
still could not determine that it was definitely Hemangioma's and
the next step is a biopsy. Brianna was now 9 weeks old and was so
alert and active we were not sure if we should put her through
this. We decided to see another doctor who is a personal friend
of Mike's aunt and he at first thought a biopsy was a bad idea
but our only choice in the end. We were afraid of her bleeding
and being put under anesthesia but it was the only choice we
really had. So on August 31st we arrived at the hospital for her
surgery. It was so upsetting to us seeing all the sick children
there. When we got to Brianna's room and I saw the crib I just
cried, I was so afraid for her. We were brought down to the OR
where I had to put on sterile clothing so I could be with her
till she was asleep, then I was asked to leave. We waited for
what seemed like hours but only about 40 minutes till we heard
that she was fine and moving to recovery. We still had to wait a
few more minutes till we could see her and when we did she was
sucking on a binky. The nurses said that they had to find one to
give to her when all along I had hers in my hand waiting for her.
She had an IV and oxygen for a little while and her fists tightly
clenched the oxygen tube. When they tried to remove the oxygen
they had to cut a part of the tube for her to hold which we kept
as a sort of souvenir. After about an hour she was finally able
to eat and boy was she hungry. We had to stay overnight so they
could measure the protein in her urine and to make sure that
there was no bleeding or fever. The next morning the doctor came
in and told us we were free to go. We had to wait for the biopsy
results, which could take another 2 days, which they did. On
Thursday, September 3rd we got the call we had been hoping for.
Brianna did in fact have Infantile Hemangioendothelioma and there
was no further treatment needed, all we had to do was have blood
test done every 6 months. We can finally start to enjoy her
without worrying about her health. Her pediatrician said that we
could now start her vaccine schedule.
On September 8th she had her first series of shots which
consisted of DPaT, HepB, HIB, and Polio. The only side effects we
were told about were fever and swollen legs. We were told that
seizures were so very rare that we need not worry. My concern was
the fact that she had just underwent surgery the week before and
I was afraid that it would be a shock of some sort to her. The
doctor told us that we were being overprotective parents and we
should not worry about the vaccines. That night Brianna had a
slight fever and her little legs were a bit swollen but otherwise
fine. She got up that night for a bottle and quickly fell back to
sleep. The next day she was still not 100% but was a bit more
active than the night before. We were finally able to enjoy her
and take her places with us. We took her to Pt. Pleasant to
officially make her a "Jersey Girl" and we went to Lord
and Taylor and the mall weekly. I couldn't wait for the weekends
to do things with her. We would go for walks in the stroller and
she would love to watch the trees, she would look at the leaves
and open her mouth as if to say the letter O. She tried so hard
to roll over but her belly was big due to her enlarged liver. She
started to reach for things and hold onto her rattles and I was
so happy, everyday it was a new thing. I would always say
"Hi Honey" or just "Hi" in a high pitched
voice and it was like she tried to say "Hi" back to me
(I have proof on her video). She was my "Little Stinky"
and I love her more than life itself.
In October for our wedding anniversary we took her to
Pennsylvania (her first vacation) to the Amish Country. We packed
more for her for 2 days than we usually do for a week for
ourselves. We went on a horse and buggy ride and found out that
Daddy is very allergic to horses. We took a train ride and went
from shop to shop saying next year she will want to buy everything in the store and laughed at the thought. She was the
perfect travel companion and we were so glad we decided to go
away if only overnight. All the while her head would sweat a lot
and sometimes have a funny odor and I thought it was because the
weather was starting to change, but the doctor didn't seem
concerned. On the 28th Mike took her for her next series of shots
which consisted of the DPaT, HepB and Polio. Brianna had the
sniffles when she went to the doctor and Mike asked if we should
still vaccinate with a little cold. The doctor started shooting
off statistics and said that it would be just fine. This is the
shot that we believe KILLED OUR BABY!! Brianna did not have a
fever this time but who is to know because the doctor's have you
give Tylenol before you leave the office. She was a bit fussy
that night and her legs were swollen just like the first time.
Thursday evening she seemed cool to me but her head was still
sweaty so I gave her another bath, as I would often do now in the
evenings as well as the mornings. Friday she seemed a little
better but was still sweaty, but this time she was dressed in a
felt pumpkin costume for a party at my office. Friday night she
seemed fine and Saturday we went out to visit relatives for
Halloween. She again was very sweaty so I took off her clothes
that were under her costume, which really didn't seem to help. We
went home and I dressed her in a cooler outfit and she took a
nap. During this time since her last shot I noticed that she
would stretch and push her bottle away with her hands as if to
say, "I had enough already" then she would whine for it
again. I thought she was now realizing that she could use her
hands to push the bottle away and I was so happy that she was
picking up on little things. I now know that this was a seizure
that she was having. I was never aware of all of the reactions to
a vaccine and shame on the doctors for not informing parents.
Brianna's immune system didn't need to be messed with at such a
young age, we could have waited till she was older to vaccinate
but we weren't given that choice.
My last night with Brianna I had her laying on the floor trying
to get her to roll over as I sang to her. We would always blast
the music when Daddy wasn't at home. The last song I sang to her
was the Leann Rimes song "How Can I Live". She would
love to hear the music playing and laugh at me as I sang to her.
She brightened by darkest days by her smile and her laugh. We
would do "raspberries" together and she thought that
was pretty neat because I would laugh at her. By 10pm that night
she was in bed as usual and slept straight through the night. I
got up for work the next morning and she was still asleep and as
I got out of the shower I heard her normal grunts that she always
made. I walked into her room and said "Hi Honey" and
she just looked up and smiled at me. I brought her into bed with
Daddy since he didn't have to go to work till later and he had
"baby duty" that morning. Daddy didn't get up quick
enough and Brianna started screaming for her cereal so up he got.
He was carrying her down the stairs as I waited on the bottom to
kiss her for what I did not know then was the last time that I
would kiss her while she was alive. I left for work and got that
dreaded call from the babysitter at 3pm telling me my baby
stopped breathing. I ran out of work and jumped into my car but
didn't know where to go. I pulled over a police officer that was
directing traffic and had him radio the township police where she
was to find out what hospital they were going to. This seemed to
take forever. I got a ride to the hospital because I was in no
shape to drive.
While at the hospital I was greeted by a lot of police officers
and EMT's, and I was told to sit down in the "quiet
room". The nurses needed to get information from me and all
I wanted to do was see Brianna. I was told that I could not see
her because the doctor's were working on her. After a few minutes
they let me in to see her. What I saw will be etched in my mind
forever. Brianna was lying there with tubes everywhere with about
5 or 6 people working on her. I went to her and rubbed and kissed
her on the head and I started singing to her. I remember telling
her that she "needed to wake up now because mommy was
here". The doctor kept asking for Mike who was on his way
from work. My sister-in-law and friends from work were with me
and my in-laws were on the way. Mike showed up and shortly after
they pronounced her dead. Her time on death was 4pm on Monday,
November 2, 1998. That night and the next days were horrible. We
had to bury our precious little girl.
It was at the wake that a friend told us of the DPaT shot and the
reactions it could have. We decided to do some reading and
research on the vaccine and found all we heard to be true. I will
NEVER give another vaccine to any children I may have in the
future. I wish I had known of all the risks before I vaccinated.
I thought I was doing a good thing by giving her the shots. I do
a lot of reading now about vaccines and I am shocked at the
amount of vaccine injury cases there are. Millions of children
have died or are living with seizures, epilepsy, and autism just
to name a few all because of vaccines. I will continue to
research vaccines till the day that I die to try and help others
in memory of Brianna.
My days are spent going to the cemetery reading Dr. Seuss, Disney
and other books to her. It is easier than it was in the earlier
months but my heart still aches for her. I miss her touch, her
smile and her laugh. I often wonder what she would be doing now.
She would be crawling around and maybe starting to walk. Her room
remains the way it was and her clothes still hang in her closet.
The door to her room remains closed and I don't want anyone to
enter. This is my private place that I share with her. I go in
every morning and every night and talk to her. I tell her how
much I miss her and always tell her how much I love her.
Our friends are now few. We are different people now; we are
parents without a child. A hard thing for people to accept but
that is what we are. The friends we had before this tragedy are
no longer our friends except for a few. I have made new friends
that are not afraid to talk about Brianna who is a big part of my
life. I have a safe place I can go to talk about Brianna, a place
where I can laugh and cry and people will not make any judgments.
These people know the pain I feel and are not afraid of me. So, I
thank all I have met at TCF (The Compassionate Friends).
