4 months ago
HERNDON, Va. (WUSA) -- Sunday is a celebration of mothers everywhere, but for some mothers it's a day of mixed emotions.
For one local mother, she has turned a tragedy into bringing more awareness to the leading cause of death among infants: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
For John and Kathy Clifford, 2003 was the happiest and worst of times. Kathy gave birth to a healthy daughter, Kylie Xiu, but three months later they faced the worst tragedy imaginable.
Kathy says, "All they could tell me is that she wasn't breathing. The lady came in and said, 'Your baby is not okay. She died.' I screamed and screamed and screamed. I said, 'Just get John on the phone. He doesn't even know his daughter is dead.'"
Little Kylie died of SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It is unpredictable. There is no cure and often times no explanation why the baby has died.
Clifford says, "We just looked at each other and our family was gone. It went from 3 to 2."
Kylie had fallen asleep in a swing with the day care provider close by. With no easy answers, those closest to the child are usually questioned by police.
Clifford says, "First thing people think, is the daycare provider and I said no. Babies forget to breath sometimes, and to this day we don't know why it happens."
Kathy faces happier times these days. She is mom to four-year-old Kenzie. Kathy had a memorial playground built in Kylie's name.
Kathy says, "How can you feel so much happiness and at the exact same time your heart is aching."
She's turned that heartache into something positive. She's bringing more awareness to SIDS by organizing events and becoming active with SIDS Mid-Atlantic. She's made it her mission to educate parents.
SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants 12 months and younger Researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston are aggressively searching for answers. They have recently investigated a link of low serotonin levels in the brainstems of babies to Sudden Infant Death.
Each year, 2500 babies die from SIDS, and 200 of them are from the D.C. area.
Kathy says, "I'm a mother of two, but only one is here. There's a piece missing. I've never had a mother's day with Kylie and never will."
Kathy has organized a benefit concert partnering with popular kids band Rocknocerous, in Kylie's name scheduled for May 22nd.
Written by Surae Chinn
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com
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