Becky and Jeff were hardly able to contain their excitement when they first realized that their core family would finally be expanded beyond just their beloved golden retrievers, Watson and Colby. The two of them were over the moon when they learned that they were having a little girl! Becky was fortunate to experience a normal and relatively easy pregnancy until the last week, when her water broke unexpectedly early at 31 weeks. A routine ultrasound revealed that unfortunately their daughter was suffering from a condition called hydrops, which led to fluid accumulating in her belly, chest cavity, and under her skin. A search for the underlying cause of the hydrops revealed none of the more common causes (such as a heart defect or anemia). Both Becky and the baby began to deteriorate in health and it was determined that the baby should be delivered by C-section on an urgent basis. Hannah Lillian Selikoff, named for her two living maternal great-grandmothers, was born 2 months early, on 10/01 at 10:01 A.M. in Sacramento, CA. She required immediate stabilization by the NICU team to drain the fluid from her chest and secure her airway. Over the next 10 days, she made great strides forward and provided the whole medical team and especially Becky and Jeff with a lot of hope that she could one day grow up to be a happy and healthy little girl. Unfortunately though, her swelling reaccumulated and she developed other complications related both to her hydrops and her prematurity. Eventually, the strain on her body became just too much for young Hannah Lillian to handle. Becky and Jeff shared the following: “We are deeply saddened to share that our beautiful daughter, little Hannah Lillian, passed away peacefully in our arms late Saturday evening. We are devastated and heartbroken and shaken to our very core. Although, we are grateful to have been in your thoughts and prayers and we continue to appreciate all the love and support. Hannah left this world in the arms of her adoring first-time parents, as we sang to her and told her how much we loved her and how much of a positive impact she had on us in her short but beautiful life 💔 We vow to honor, remember and derive inspiration from our sweet little girl for the rest of our lives. May her memory be for a blessing!” In order to help carry on her legacy, Becky and Jeff are in the early stages of setting up the Hannah Lillian Selikoff Memorial Foundation. Funds will be disbursed from this foundation in order to advance hydrops and neonatal research, support UC Davis Children’s Hospital as well as other children’s hospitals, help enable NICU parents to have easier access to transportation to see their children, and many other targeted and meaningful causes in the years to come. While the foundation is being set up, please feel free to donate through the GoFundMe account linked to this page. 100% of the money raised will be donated in Hannah Lillian’s memory. Hopefully, in this way, Hannah’s life and legacy will be able to make a meaningful positive difference in the lives of other children and families in the future!