By Ashleigh DeLay & Ryan Mounts
Parents to Serenity
Alobar Holoprosencephaly
April – June 2025
Ryan and I really wanted a little girl together to add to our blended family, since we already had our boy. At my 16-week ultrasound, we were told I would need to go to St. Louis for further visits. That’s where we learned about our daughter’s condition: Alobar Holoprosencephaly (HPE).
When I went to my first St. Louis appointment, they gave me an On Angels’ Wings card. At the time, everything felt overwhelming, but that moment planted a seed of support during a very uncertain season. We reached out and had maternity pictures made toward the end of my pregnancy, not knowing how much time we would get with her.
My birth story was both scary and incredible. I didn’t know what to expect, knowing things could go several different ways. The moment I heard her cry—even if it was only for a split second—all I wanted to do was hold her. There were so many people in the room when she arrived: the NICU team, multiple specialists, even the anesthesiologist. Everyone was hands-on the moment she was born. It was wild and completely new to us.
At first, I was hopeful they were all wrong and that she would be okay. Then my hope shifted—I just wanted her to be able to come home so we could spend as much time with her as possible. The doctors told me that babies with HPE are usually stillborn or pass within minutes after birth. Serenity surprised everyone. She gave us five incredible weeks.
Serenity was in the NICU from the day she was born until the day she passed away, five weeks later. On Angels’ Wings was there to capture one of the first times we held her.
She was mostly silent. She couldn’t cry or make noise because of her breathing tube, so we learned to read her through her facial expressions instead. She loved cuddles and preferred being unswaddled so she could stretch. She would work herself up sometimes, setting off her monitors. She had the most adorable little nose, and I’ll never forget the way she looked up at us with her eyes partially open.
As the weeks went on, more symptoms began to appear. Serenity started having seizures that stopped her breathing every few minutes. That’s when I knew she was suffering, and we were faced with the hardest decision we’ve ever had to make. We never wanted this outcome, but we knew it was coming. And when the time arrived, On Angels’ Wings returned to capture our last moments with her.
Losing her has taken an immense toll on our family. We’re coping the best we know how. We all have moments of breaking down. Sometimes we stay busy to distract ourselves; other times, depression sets in and we isolate. It’s easier to say “I’m okay” than to explain why we’re not.
At the same time, Serenity has impacted our family in beautiful ways. When the kids see a butterfly or a rainbow, they smile and say it’s their baby sister. They draw pictures for her and talk about her often. They miss her deeply, and sometimes they break down too.
We’re doing our best to keep her legacy alive. We’re planting a cherry blossom tree with purple butterflies all around it in her honor. We’re having T-shirts made. I’ve drawn pictures and tattoo ideas for her, and I even wrote a song for her called “Serenity Grace.”
The services from On Angels’ Wings have shown us that we aren’t alone—that there are people who truly care and are there for families like ours. OAW is simply amazing, and I will always support them. For families who receive devastating news about their child and feel completely defeated, OAW brings together a beautiful community. They provide meaningful photos, share stories from other families, reach out, and consistently check in to make sure we’re okay.
That kind of support means everything.
