99 Days to Live

ELIOT MOONEY
Imagine the shock of first-time parents hearing the news that their pre-born child may never even live to birth. When Matt and Ginny Mooney learned that their unborn baby had Trisomy 18 (also known as Edward's Syndrome), the odds were not in their favor. This condition results from an extra #18 chromosome, and most babies with this diagnosis die before birth, or shortly thereafter.

Rather than sinking into despair over this grim news, however, the Mooneys determined to celebrate the life God had perfectly created in their child. "We are excited to have our first baby!" the couple shared in their online journal. "We could not express how important it is for you to understand that we are not in despair. Rather, we are excited to have this baby at this time. This is our first child, and we cannot wait. Of course, we would do anything in order for this baby to be healthy, and we have cried enough to last a while; but we feel the Lord is sovereign and, therefore, this is the baby for us. And we anxiously await our gift."

On July 26th, 2006, at 4:59 p.m. Eliot Hartman Mooney was born. Matt and Ginny decided to celebrate the miracle of Eliot's life by throwing a birthday party for him every day at 4:59 p.m. Twenty days after his birth, the new family of 3 celebrated Eliot's homecoming from the hospital. In spite of multiple medical complications, Eliot Hartman Mooney defied the odds and lived for another 3 months - a total of 99 days of life. In that time, Matt and Ginny lavished their son with love, and were in turn, blessed with the gift of Eliot's life.

Never doubt that EVERY LIFE matters! This young boy's life changed the hearts and lives of all who knew him. Be sure to watch the Mooney's story.