Baby whose mom died from swine flu fighting for own life
SEATTLE -- The baby born to a Puyallup woman who died this summer of swine flu complications is now fighting for her life. Abbey Flyte stopped breathing this week and is in intensive care.
When we first met Kenny Flyte last summer, his world was falling apart. He'd lost his job and his pregnant wife Katie was losing her battle with swine flu.
"It's just a nightmare," he said.
In a coma, Katie underwent a C-section, and delivered a daughter who weighed just under 3 pounds.
Katie didn't live to see Abigail Marie join her brother Jacob at home.
"It's momma's eyes looking right at me," Kenny Flyte said of Abbey last October. "Big ol' brown tear-jerkers."
But Monday night when Kenny checked on Abbey in bed, she wasn't breathing. She was face down with milk coming out her nose and mouth.
Kenny says he started CPR, but Abbey was unresponsive.
He thinks he found Abbey in the middle of a SIDS episode, and doesn't know how long she wasn't breathing or if she suffered brain damage.
Today, he says his little girl is mostly breathing on her own at Children's Hospital and seems more responsive; her heart rate jumped when she heard her father's voice.
But he wonders how much one man can take.
"No one should have to go through this, no one," he said.
Kenny Flyte says these things happen to babies and families every day, but they just seem to keep happening to him.
His late wife comes from a big family and they are helping watch his son Jacob while he's devoting his time to Abbey.
If you'd like to help, you can donate online to the KOMO Problem Solvers fund.
When we first met Kenny Flyte last summer, his world was falling apart. He'd lost his job and his pregnant wife Katie was losing her battle with swine flu.
"It's just a nightmare," he said.
In a coma, Katie underwent a C-section, and delivered a daughter who weighed just under 3 pounds.
Katie didn't live to see Abigail Marie join her brother Jacob at home.
"It's momma's eyes looking right at me," Kenny Flyte said of Abbey last October. "Big ol' brown tear-jerkers."
But Monday night when Kenny checked on Abbey in bed, she wasn't breathing. She was face down with milk coming out her nose and mouth.
Kenny says he started CPR, but Abbey was unresponsive.
He thinks he found Abbey in the middle of a SIDS episode, and doesn't know how long she wasn't breathing or if she suffered brain damage.
Today, he says his little girl is mostly breathing on her own at Children's Hospital and seems more responsive; her heart rate jumped when she heard her father's voice.
But he wonders how much one man can take.
"No one should have to go through this, no one," he said.
Kenny Flyte says these things happen to babies and families every day, but they just seem to keep happening to him.
His late wife comes from a big family and they are helping watch his son Jacob while he's devoting his time to Abbey.
If you'd like to help, you can donate online to the KOMO Problem Solvers fund.
