McKay Michael Gent was born on December 27, 2021 with a severe heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This required him to undergo several operations very shortly after birth. Unfortunately, complications from these operations led to McKay's other organs having difficulty functioning. Despite all of the stress on his body, McKay spent his days smiling in the hospital, and he quickly became a favorite of all the nurses in the Cardiac ICU.
The various hospital staff often fought over who would get to have McKay as a patient and offered to work overtime hours only if they were assigned to McKay. He was famous for his snarky glare he gave the nurses when they woke him up to check his vitals.
McKay fought every day of his life. His great strength allowed him to graduate from hospital care and spend a few weeks home with his family. It was such an amazing time for his parents and siblings to have their entire family together, even though it was only for a short time.
Unfortunately, the extreme demand on his little body proved too much for McKay, and several of his organs started showing signs of failure. An emergency, exploratory surgery revealed that McKay's organs were beyond repair, and they took him off the several support machines to let him pass.
McKay spent his last few hours of life surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and being cuddled and loved by his parents. His parents finally got to hold McKay in their arms and lay next to him untethered by lines and tubes, after spending weeks only being able to hold his hand. McKay was very responsive and interactive on his final day on Earth. He kept looking around at all of his family members and reached out for his Mom every time she moved next to him.
He died on May 3, 2022 peacefully in his Mother's arms.
McKay knew every second of his life that he was incredibly loved. Despite only being here for four short months, he inspired hundreds of people. Every person who met him or even saw his picture recognized what a special boy he was and instantly felt love for him upon seeing him. His fighting spirit brought together family members from across the nation and allowed people to witness the blessings of angels on earth as countless individuals rushed to provide aid to the Gent family during this trying time.
McKay left an impression on all our hearts and will never be known as anything less than Mighty. We love him so much and cannot wait to see him again. We know he will be given the opportunity to live a full life and that his parents will get the chance to raise their son.
The Gent family would appreciate any donations made in the name of Mighty McKay to help them cover hospital and funeral expenses.
