June 26, 2013 was a very special day for Abbey and Robert Ahern: the date they welcomed their third daughter, Annie, into the world. When the parents learned during Abbey's prenatal ultrasound five months prior that Annie had anencephaly, they prayed for time. They wanted to hold, hug and kiss Annie. They wanted Annie and big sisters Dylan and Harper Lou to meet each other. They wanted other family members to have the chance to embrace "Pistol Annie." They knew that their physical time with Annie would be short and their moments with Annie precious. Tiny Annie, the first infant organ donor in Oklahoma, graced all their lives and more with her presence.

Annie's Story

The following story is written by Abbey Ahern, Annie's mother. By special request, we have provided this story in first person as it was provided:

During a routine ultrasound when I was 19 weeks pregnant, a doctor discovered and diagnosed our daughter Annie with anencephaly, a condition we were told was "incompatible with life." During early fetal development her neural tube had failed to close, so Annie was missing a portion of her skull and brain. As my husband and I looked at the ultrasound pictures, it was so surreal. Every single bit of our baby girl was perfect. We could see her tiny fingers and toes, her little arms and legs, her perfect heart. The only imperfection was the top of her head, and that imperfection would end up stealing her from us.

We wanted to carry Annie to full term in the hopes of spending a few precious moments with our sweet daughter. We wanted to meet her and we wanted Annie to have a chance to meet her two big sisters. We wanted to kiss those perfect fingers and toes we saw in the ultrasound. All we could do was pray for time.

The day Annie was born was more magnificent than we could have ever imagined. Our little "Pistol Annie", as she is affectionately known, was born on June 26, 2013 at 8:36 a.m. and she left us at 11:34 p.m. the same day. We were given an extraordinary 14 hours and 58 minutes with our beautiful daughter. She spent her entire life surrounded by her family who loved her, and she touched every single person's heart who met her.

We knew for some time before Annie was born that she was not meant for this earth. Her story has made such an enormous impact emotionally and spiritually on us, our family, and our friends, that it only made sense to us to pursue organ donation and let her make a physical impact on someone as well. My husband and I both felt very strongly about organ donation, and we committed to doing everything possible to honor our daughter in this way. Annie was the very first infant newborn organ donor in the state of Oklahoma, and we are so incredibly proud of her. Although we miss her dearly, we cannot deny the significance of her tiny life and the effect it has had on the world.