Brandon Mebane is a defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers.
He’s also a husband and father of three. The 33-year-old has two daughters and a son.
Sadly, on January 3, Mebane and his wife, Amena Jefferson Mebane, were forced to endure the loss of their youngest daughter.
According to ESPN, the couple’s little girl was born prematurely on November 12, 2018. She was born with Trisomy 13, or Patau syndrome, which is a condition a person develops an extra chromosome 13.
The father told ESPN:
“She just kept having bleeding from her stomach, and then they tried to feed her, it wasn’t good for her liver.”
Nonetheless, Mebane says he’s getting by on his faith:
“I’m still thankful, and I thank God every day. I still pray. We’re taking it one day at a time.”
Mebane’s baby girl was also born without a heart valve, which required surgery. Amena took to Instagram on November 18 to talk about her daughter’s birth story, adding that they knew of their daughter’s health conditions early on.
She wrote:
Our precious baby girl Makenna was born on Monday 11/12 at 35 weeks. She was diagnosed in utero with a very very rare genetic condition called Trisomy 13. It means she has 3 copies of her chromosome 13. We were told that she wouldn’t make it to birth and if she did she would die shortly after. We learned that she would need life saving heart surgery to correct a heart defect she has and we also learned that most doctors refuse to treat babies with this condition because they believe they are “incompatible with life.” I could not find a surgeon in California who would agree to give her heart surgery.
I know God chose Brandon and me to be her parents for a reason. And one thing this mama was not going to do was accept death as the only option ??♀️. So I started researching and found a Facebook group that led me to a surgeon in Nebraska at Children’s Hospital of Omaha (Dr. Hammel) who does heart surgery on trisomy babies. He has an entire team of specialist who believe that these babies deserve an opportunity to live! So I got on a plane and went to Nebraska. Every medical professional we’ve encountered, from the maternal fetal doctors at University of Nebraska Medical Center, to the nurses and staff at Children’s Hospital, has proven to us that we are at the best place on earth for care for her. I’m so incredibly grateful! Makenna came out of my womb crying loud and strong, sweet music to our ears…
The proud mom continued:
Just want to say thank you to my husband for keeping me positive and helping to strengthen my faith throughout this journey. And to my kiddos who have gone though some major transitions. They are handling everything with such grace. Thank you to my family and friends who have come to visit, those who babysat while I was in and out of the hospital, all of my prayer warriors especially my in-laws, my personal midwife Deana (lol), our nanny, and everyone that continues to lift our family up. We have been showered with love and support. I’ve had so many visitors and have many visitors to come: Friends who drove 6 hours to come see me, some who left their own families to fly across the country to help. Busy professionals who took vacation time to fly here and cook dinner for my kids. Thank you to all those who sent congratulatory messages, flowers and baskets and even the occasional “how are you doing, I’m praying for you text.” Thank you to my Sorors for always listening and offering advice. To my brother who has always been there for me through every single challenge and triumph. I cannot recall a time in my life where he was not there for me, and this time is no different. We are truly blessed to have awesome friends and family ❤️. Please continue to pray for Makenna and our family. We have a long journey ahead of us, especially as she grows and prepares for her heart surgery, but we are faithful and we are strong ??. Today and every day we celebrate her purposeful life ❤️. Welcome Makenna Niara Mebane. Born of ?. One of High Purpose.
Amena took to Instagram again on January 4.
This time celebrating and remembering Makenna’s nearly two months of life.
She wrote:
After about 1.5 weeks of life, Makenna got a severe intestine infection called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). It is the leading cause of death amongst premature babies. She coded and recovered, she got sepsis from the gut bacteria getting into her bloodstream and she kept fighting, she got so swollen and kept fighting, she had abdominal surgery and managed to survive that despite that it was a risky surgery with all of her swelling. She came out of surgery with her fist balled and raised in the air. She was such a little fighter. But, after awhile the complications from the infection took a toll on her body and her organs. We came to Omaha for heart surgery but ironically her heart had nothing to do with this, nor did her genetic difference. In fact, her heart was the only thing unaffected by NEC. When her other organs started to give out, her heart kept pumping and even continued to pump after she took her last breath. I told my little warrior girl that she didn’t have to fight anymore. We decided to remove all her ivs, love on her all day and then remove her ventilator. She passed peacefully in mommy and daddy’s arms yesterday at 10:30pm. I will take some time away as we process this and prepare to lay our beautiful, sweet baby to rest. If I don’t respond to a text or call, know that I have received it and just need some time. I’m going to miss her holding my finger, and snuggling with me. She has changed our lives in ways we never expected and we will always remember, love and honor her. RIP Makenna Niara Mebane 11/12/18- 1/3/19.
Mebane and the Chargers are set to take on the New England Patriots in the second round of the playoffs this Sunday, January 13.
Mebane told ESPN that he intends on playing in that game.
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