Our daughter Mira Love Marie S. Castillo has been laid to rest last Saturday, July 14, 2012. After celebrating a month of holding on after my wife had a Preterm Premature Rupture of the Membranes (PPROM), Mira had to be delivered through an emergency C-section because her mom began to show signs of sepsis.
I still remember that day. In a matter of 45 minutes, my wife’s temperature rose from 37 degrees all the way to 39.3 degrees Celsius. This happened while we were on our way to the hospital, and I’m just glad that we noticed the signs (we also noticed baby’s heart rate fluctuated from 100 to 180 beats per minute as measured through a fetal doppler, her normal was 150bpm), and decided to bring her there fast. A blood test done at the hospital also revealed a very high WBC count, among other symptoms (baby’s heart rate became worse at 90 to 200bpm) detected by our OB, which led to the emergency c-section.
We were just in time and full-blown sepsis was averted, although during the C-section, my wife’s blood pressure began to drop at times, according to her doctors. Just thinking about it still makes me shiver with fear of what could have happened.
However, my daughter was delivered at a gestational age of just 23 weeks. Her lungs were simply not yet ready… she survived for a little over 7 hours… and then we had to say goodbye…
For now…
I simply don’t know what to say except thank you to everyone for the prayers and support…
I also want to thank our doctors for doing everything humanly possible to save Mira, and for saving the life of my wife…
We also seek patience and understanding in this time of sorrow for our family…
I wish I can say it’s business as usual, but obviously I can’t. Please give us time…
I will be updating recently posted listings that contain my wife Cherry’s phone number and remove it so she can rest and recover (her blood pressure is still at elevated levels and based on lab results, she has mild postpartum preeclampsia) …
(Update added on July 24, 2012) – It is simply very difficult to describe, what my wife, my son CJ, and I, feel right now. However, I do feel a lot better by simply reading all of the comforting words a lot of you wrote here, on facebook, and also those sent through text. Thank you so much!
Of course, it still hurts, and we have so many questions that run around in our minds. I can still remember my son CJ asking me this question after seeing me cry…
“Daddy, why did Mira have to die?”
I just said “I really don’t know CJ, I’ll try to answer your question later…”.
Some say this is God’s will. In my opinion however, this is not God’s will. Don’t get me wrong, I just feel uncomfortable with the notion that all this happened because it was God’s will, because it would be like He is to blame, which in my opinion is not true. I would rather think this just happened for a reason, but it was really not God’s intention.
I’m pretty sure though that Mira is with God right now, and with that thought, I do find comfort.
Of course, the question as to why all of this had to happen still lingers and the following song best describes how we feel…
Let me end this with a happy note…
Soon after I wrote the first part of this post above, my wife’s blood pressure normalized very quickly.
I guess it had something to do with water retention and stress. I suppose when all the excess fluids in her body got flushed out and all the swelling or “manas” disappeared, her BP also became normal. Much needed peace and quiet also helped a lot, and we’re now getting a whole lot more of these as we have just moved-in to a place we can call our home, even if we are just renting it.
Now my wife’s BP is always at normal levels, even if the dosage for her medicine has been halved, and we look forward to the go ahead from her OB to stop the medication completely. 🙂
Thanks again for all the prayers! May God bless you all!
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God bless all of you.
God is good, all the time.
(nalaman ko po ito sa n@wies friend ko na n@wies din po ang wife mo)
My condolences. I will pray for your family.
Dear Jay,
My condolences and sympathy to you and your family. May God Bless you. Stay strong and inspired on these times.
Sincerely,
Louis
Hi Jay & to your wife, cherry & to your son, CJ
I just stumble upon your website, looking for a vacant lot here in cabuyao. And I got curious for the post, “Thank you for your prayers” (which is one of the most read actually).
I just wanna make a comment regarding to your statement- that popular belief that death is God’s Will. You are actually correct, the Bible says that God cannot do such bad things such as death,tragedy & sickness. That is NOT He’s Will.
The Bible tells us at James 1:13 “When under trial, let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’ For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” So God is never the source of the wickedness you see in the world around you. (Job 34:10-12) Granted, he does allow bad things to happen. But there is a big difference between allowing something to happen and causing it.
Another thing, the Bible teaches us that there is a hope for the dead- the resurrection hope. Even Jesus, resurrect his friend Lazarus, that is the hope that the bible teaches- John 11:43-44, John 5:28, Acts 24:15.
I hope this Simple Bible Truths will give you and your family comfort & hope.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.”—2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.
My sincerest prayers for the lost of your child, as well as the fast recovery and healing of your loving wife.
God’s grace to you and your family at this time of grief. My sincerest condolences…
my condolences po..
Dear Jay,
So sorry for your loss, I have also experienced this and know how you feel. Me and my wife chose to move on and put our trust to God’s greater plan for us. May you find comfort in knowing that your child is in a much better place. Again our deepest condolences…
Condolence Jay. God has blessed you with Mira’s life though short but has a lot of lessons to teach. I am inspired by you, your wife and your son’s courage. God’s comfort and strength be with you always. -Jocel, Edison, and Caleb.
just keep moving
Dear Jay,
i pray for healing for you, your wife Cherry and son, CJ.
hang on to your faith. All will be well.
As mentioned in my update above, thank you so much to each and everyone of you! I wish I could reply to all of you, but with so many of you who wrote here, that is simply an overwhelming task, so I hope you all won’t mind if I say thank you to all of you through this comment and my update above, for now. 🙂
Thank you so much and we will always be grateful to each and everyone of you. God Bless you all!
My deepest condolences…
Will be praying for the speedy recovery of your wife.
God bless.
Sir Jay:
In behalf of Asset Recovery Group-UnionBank, our deepest condolences.
HE knows the best for everything… and this happened for a reason…
I will pray for your family. God bless
i’m so saddened about your loss… hope your wife recover fast. My heart is welling with tears. I pray for your recovery too.. God bless!
Hello Jay,
I browse through your website from time to time, oftentimes learning a thing or two. Please accept my deepest sympathies in this very difficult time for your family. So sorry to read about your great loss. But be comforted in the thought that “All things work together for good to them that trust the Lord.”
God bless you Jay, and thank you.
My deepest sympathy for the untimely demise of your beloved daughter.
Jay,
My deepest condolences to you and your family.
My deepest sympathy and I pray for the fast recovery of your wife. Stay strong and God bless!
Condolence Jay! Praying for your wife’s recovery! Great health to you and your family.
My deepest condolence Kuya Jay and M’ Cherry. Stay strong.
Condolence Jay!
Continue to hold on. Everything happens for a reason. Whatever that is, is for your own good.
God is good!
My Friend Mr. and MRs. Castillo,
I know how hard it is for the the two of you to recover but I hope this simple advice I got when i crossed the burden of not having my first baby into reality will soothe you a bit…”Hiniram lang si Mira ni Lord ibabalik din nya si Mira sa mga susunod na pagkakataon.” Believe me when I got the same advice and tried to accept everything..God indeed gave me not only one but gave me four wonderful kids!
I pray for the speedy recovery of Cherry and for you to be tough and be the hope for your wife,,,I know that in God’s time Mira will be in your arms again…Have faith..God is good all the time!
God Bless
Mr. Jay Castillo,
I’m sorry for your loss and my deepest condolence to your family. I do hope for the fast recover of your wife. I also hope that your daughter, Mira, is now in good hands of our creator.
Thank you for all the help, postings, and infos you are imparting us here at your site. I am a subscriber, and I really find it helpful and informative. Ever since, I had read your story, you really inspired me to be become a real estate broker as well.
Thank you sir, I will pray for your good health and may God guide and bless your family through these hard times.
Sincerely,
Giem M. Novenario
Sir condolences to you and your family , i am saddened by the news of your daughters passing
God Bless