THE TEDDY FOUNDATION

Helping Parents Cope With Loss

Theodore “Teddy” Kurenda’s time on earth lasted 33 minutes. His parents hope his influence will touch lives for decades to come.

Matt and Alaina Kurenda’s first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, but in late 2020 they found out they were expecting again.

“We were over the moon but also nervous,” recalls Alaina, 28.

Soon after the new year, tests began to show some concerning signs. At 18 weeks, the Shillington couple was told the issues had become serious: there was excess fluid buildup, and Teddy’s kidneys couldn’t be found on the ultrasound. Given the option to end the pregnancy, the Kurendas declined.

“We decided that as long as Teddy was willing to hang on, we were willing to go through this journey with him,” Alaina says. “But every time we went to an appointment, we kind of had ourselves prepared that he might not have a heartbeat anymore.”

The ensuing weeks included visits to Hershey Medical Center and a clinical trial at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, all to no avail. They were told there was a 99 percent chance he would pass in the womb and a 100 percent chance he would pass soon after being born. They decided to schedule a cesarian section for 37 weeks; if there was even an infinitesimal chance of a miracle occurring, they wanted to give him that chance.

“He was born alive, which we were told would not happen,” Alaina says. “So that in itself is our little miracle.”

The doctors tried to get Teddy’s heart beating normally, but his parents soon determined