A devastated mum has shared the last photos of her baby girl in a bid to warn other parents not to let their kids socialise if they're ill.
Emily Lang shared the tragic photos of her daughter Presley Meeks, who she thinks could have caught a common virus during a playdate.
The 20-year-old believes her daughter picked up a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from a friend's baby, with no warning she was ill.
Tot Presley had a weaker immune system thanks to a rare genetic disorder and was rushed to intensive care a week later.
Within just two days, her heart had stopped several times and while she lay on life support, Emily made the crushing decision to turn off the helpless baby's life support.
Now the mum-of-one is warning others not to touch people's babies and keep their sick children inside.
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According to the NHS website, most babies will contract the virus before the age of two, but it can be serious for some children.
Emily from Bismarck, in North Dakota, US, said: "It's crazy how it can spread so fast all from kissing a baby. It has to be you being sick and you kissing or touching a baby. It's mostly caused by kissing or touching babies when you're sick.
"My friend's baby was playing with a lot of her toys and had them in her mouth. It was heart-breaking [to turn off Presley's life support] but knowing I got to spend 11 months with her was great.
"You have to be very cautious. RSV is very bad for babies.
"My message to people who kiss babies is to stay away. Even if you don't think you're sick, it's not your baby. Be cautious. Don't bring sick children to playdates or daycare, and no kissing or touching babies.
"Babies do get sick and it's harder on their system. Try not to touch them as much as you love them.
Emily knew little Presley was sick while she was pregnant and claims she regularly visited the hospital to get checked out.
When baby Presley was born in November 2020, she was rushed to intensive care and diagnosed with a disorder so rare they were unable to name it - which caused her to have immune deficiency.
Emily said: "When she was born, she wasn't breathing so they sent her straight to the NICU and then they noticed she had a rare, genetic disorder that caused her immune system to be very weak.
"We were unable to figure out Presley's diagnosis. We did over 100 genetic tests and couldn't find out what it was, but it was extremely rare they said.
"Anytime she got sick she'd been sent to the hospital really fast and she was always intubated.
"She'd been sick three times before she got RSV but within two days, they said RSV can kick a baby's butt."
Emily added: "Presley never cried. She was very fussy in the evening before I brought her in to the A&E.
"She showed signs of heavy breathing in the chest and a slight fever which was probably the worst part of it.
"Just because of her past, I knew she needed to go to hospital. If the chest is compressing, you need to go to the hospital right away.
"Presley got sent to a children's hospital because I noticed she was acting fatigued. when she got there, she was not okay. They decided they wanted to intubate her.
"Within two days, I woke up and they had to start bagging her because her heart had completely stopped. They had to use a balloon to keep her heart going and try to keep her going.
"They sat me down and said they didn't think she was going to make it. They said I had the choice whether to let her fight or pull the plug and just let her go because she was very ill.
"I decided to let her go because she'd already fought so much in her life. There was no reason for her to keep suffering through all these illnesses and RSV was a bad one. It would have been a long recovery."
Grieving Emily is now determined to stay strong and honour Presley's memory, spreading awareness of the dangers of being sick around infants.
Presley also donated her organs to another ill baby and saved their life - giving Emily a sense of hope after her loss.
Emily said: "I was very frustrated with the world but you have to learn to adapt and move on with life and know she's in a better place now.
"Presley did get her organs donated because we let her off life support, so her organs were donated to another baby. She has saved another baby's life. Knowing that helped a lot.
"Six months on, I'm coping very well. Sharing Presley's story helps me a lot, trying to get the word out that this stuff is serious and it happens a lot.
"Presley was very bubbly and always smiling. Always happy. No matter what, she was very content and ever really cried.
"If she did cry, she was sick, but other than that she was happy. Always lit up the room and had such a big smile.
"She lived a good, loving life for sure."
