By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE newborn baby of social media personalities Anil and Kineta James has died.
Their little baby boy DeAngelo Peter James passed away due to Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
The couple shared their pain on social media on Friday saying their “angel and warrior” fought a good fight.
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In a heartbreaking video posted on Instagram and Tiktok on Friday, the parents shared, “This is not how we intended to introduce you to our son but we could have as many plans as we want but God is the one to say, if it is to be so and He always does everything with a purpose.”
The video showed a bright-eyed, smiling baby with his mother playing with him and singing, “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.”
Gentle music with the gospel song “Goodness of God” played in the background.
The parents posted, “Our baby is a true fighter. He battled a terminal illness called SMA and although it was so aggressive, that never stopped him from being so resilient. In his last moments, he refused to give up the fight until daddy told him, ‘you don’t need to fight anymore baby. At that moment DeAngelo allowed himself to go to rest.
“We got to experience something most may never experience in this lifetime. We were with him till his last breath and we thank God for making that possible for us. Although our hearts are aching, we know our baby is no longer in any pain or suffering.”
The couple thanked everyone for their support, prayers and kind words of encouragement during this difficult time.
Social media have been flooded with messages of sympathy to the family and the couple’s story also shared on Caribbean social media pages.
SMA according to John Hopkins Medicine is a disorder affecting the motor neurons- nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement.
These cells are located in the spinal cord.
John Hopkins website states, “One in every 6,000 babies is born with SMA. It is one of the most prevalent genetic disorders affecting young children and a major cause of death in infancy.”
It also states, “SMA does not affect sensory nerves or intellect, but it has been observed that many patients with SMA are highly intelligent.”
