Cassandra Beer’s daughter Willow was born with Desbuquois syndrome – a disorder of the bones and cartilage that is characterised by a form of dwarfism.
The mum had been thrilled to discover she was expecting a second daughter a year after delivering her first girl, Summer.
‘Our hearts grew much bigger that day, our parenting instincts kicked in,’ Cassandra said of the day Summer was born. ‘She ended up wrapping her fingers around her dad’s heart.’
'We tried for another baby for a long while and joy struck on the 15 July 20017 when it was confirmed we were pregnant again – and we were hoping and wishing for a girl for Summer to play with,’ the mum added.
Cassandra, who was born with cerebral palsy, had previously been told she wouldn’t be able to carry a baby – but proved doctors wrong.
But this time around, a scan at 30 weeks showed that Willow wasn’t developing as she should in the womb.
‘The measurements then confirmed Willow had short arms, legs, large head, a normal size tummy and a small chest,’ Cassandra revealed.
A 3D scan showed there was no room for the baby’s lungs to inflate.
The heartbroken mum was told her little girl would not survive.
‘On the 22nd of January 2017 at 08.39, Willow Louise Joy Beer cried the once but with a beating heart got to meet and say goodbye to her mum, dad and sister,’ Cassandra wrote in a heartbreaking tribute on GoFundMe, accompanied by a photo of her perfect little girl.
Willow spent just 90 minutes with her family before she passed away.
Now Cassandra is fundraising for genetic testing so she can determine if Willow’s sister carries the defective gene – and if she can carry more children herself.
To donate to the family click here
This article originally appeared on New Idea.
