Our Story

Parenthood is full of unexpected moments. We can only wonder why God thought us worthy of such a high calling.

We discovered Gabriel on March 23rd. We heard his heartbeat for the first time on April 12th. His grandparents, aunts, and uncles learned about him in the weeks to follow. Our parents began preparing us for how different life as a parents would be early on after learning they would be grandparents. “Life is going to be so different for y’all, get ready!” Only time would reveal how accurate they were.

In the coming days, the hand of God was evidently involved in so many moments of our lives. It would be challenging to write a more picturesque story. Russell finished medical school and passed his second board exam. We recently became expecting parents. We were fortunate enough to move much closer to home for Residency. Finally, Amber found the best healthcare team that anyone could ask for to take care of her and Gabe.

God was obviously surrounding us with an army of His best before handing us the rest of the assignment: Bilateral Renal Agenesis (BRA).

Bilateral Renal Agenesis (BRA)
Most people have never heard of it.
Most doctors will never see it in their careers.
BRA is extremely rare.
It is incompatible with extrauterine life.
It is a devastating, lethal diagnosis.

However, it was the plan that God had for our lives and His presence was evident every step of the way.

Better known as “Potter’s Syndrome,” BRA simply refers to a baby that has developed without either kidney. Babies with BRA have a 50% chance of making it to term. Those that do make it to term and survive delivery have an average life span of 60 minutes.

The absence of both kidneys creates a low amniotic fluid environment for babies to grow in. As a result, this limits their lung development potential. When they are born, they are unable to adequately oxygenate their tissues. Babies that have BRA are essentially fine as long as they are umbilically connected to Mom.

Besides being mildly cramped, our son lived his best life inside of mommy. Gabriel communicated with Amber by kicking her while she tried to sleep. He communicated with dad by kicking dad’s face while dad attempted to feel him move with his cheeks. He was not really a big fan of avocados or tomatoes; however, he was a pineapple aficionado and would eat them all of the time if we let him. He enjoyed listening to dad play the piano and he loved it when we read him Bible stories.

This tragedy undoubtedly rocked us to our core. While we never hoped to be in this situation, God was never in doubt about his plan for our lives. His ways, while not always our ways, are always perfect. We carried Gabriel as far as we were asked carry him and then we laid him at the feet of Jesus.

At 6:51 pm on October 24, 2022 we held our son, Gabriel Neal Gregory, in our arms for the first time. As we anticipated, his time on earth was brief. He returned to Heaven’s gates 104 minutes later.

Thanks be to God that He did in fact heal our baby boy. He completely healed him and made him completely whole. We know that we will see him again and this promise makes all of the difference for us.

Although we presumed our situation hopeless, others in our circle knew better. They helped us see the beauty of Gabriel's life rather than the ashes of our situation. They truly helped us celebrate his short, yet incredible life.  In retrospect, we are convinced that our trauma would have been much more severe were it not for this opportunity.

We believe that sharing our experience will empower others. Parents should be encouraged to celebrate the life of their child regardless of its brevity or circumstances. We hope that creating an environment of commemoration and celebration will similarly help others on their bereavement journey.

What a privilege it is to be Gabriel’s parents. We can only wonder why God thought us worthy of such a high calling.