At 7:55 am this morning Aubree, the sassy little girl with an amazing zest to experience life, left this world for a heavenly place. Her mother, Kristin Beck sadly announced, “Aubree gained her angel wings. She fought like hell from day one and even more so the last 3 months. All I can hope is that she knew exactly how much she was loved”.
Aubree was waiting for a heart transplant in order to live. This week, if all went according to plan, she was scheduled to receive a Berlin Heart (a device that helps the right ventricle of the heart to pump). Aubree needed to be intubated for some extra support before her surgery. Because of Aubree’s low resistance and possible exposure to the COVID-19 virus, the only person she was been able to have with her was her mother, Kristin Beck DeWitt.
Before the intubation, Aubree was able to spend a little time with the entire family, Cameron and Kristin DeWitt and her little three-year-old sister Savannah Grace. Her grandfather, Robert McCue reflected “time with those you love is God’s greatest gift in our lives and that I will never take time for granted again”.
She was born with Hypo-Plastic Left Heart Syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. In addition, she was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects 1 in 2,000 -5,000 people. It’s rare to have both defects. “She was never expected to make it through delivery, let alone 2 of her Heart Surgeries,” said her grandmother Kara McCue.
For over a month, she was at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, awaiting a heart replacement.
Aubree would have celebrated her 6th birthday on July 24.
Further details will follow. For now, send your prayers and condolences.
