However, at her 20-week checkup, Shelman, 35, and Dederscheck, 38, were told that doctors noticed abnormalities in their baby\u2019s development. They were referred to specialists from the fetal center at Primary Children\u2019s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, for monitoring.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one thing that was always the same was his heart and his valves not functioning properly,\u201d Shelman told the outlet.<\/p>\n
Shelman said that doctors were confused by the baby’s changing condition throughout her pregnancy. It inspired them to name him Riot.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time we had a new scan, it was changing, and he was just puzzling the doctors,\u201d she explained. \u201cEvery scan, something different appeared, something different went away. So I\u2019m like, this kid is going to cause chaos, and that\u2019s how we knew he was going to cause a riot. He has done so since the day he was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
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GoFundMe<\/p>\n
Riot James Ayden<\/p>\n
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now<\/a>!<\/p>\n On August 6, Shelman and Dederscheck welcomed Riot, nearly seven weeks premature. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with neonatal Marfan syndrome and admitted to the NICU with serious health challenges.<\/p>\n Marfan syndrome is a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder that affects connective tissue, the fibers that support and anchor organs, according to Mayo Clinic.<\/a> It impacts the heart, eyes, blood vessels and skeleton. Neonatal Marfan’s is characterized by a severe presentation of Marfan syndrome in early infancy and rapid progression during childhood, according to the Marfan Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Riot\u2019s case, his heart valves didn\u2019t close properly, causing blood flow without proper oxygenation. Shelman said he also had an enlarged heart, which compressed his left lung and caused his right lung to overextend, resulting in severe respiratory distress.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can\u2019t get the proper oxygen to his body,\u201d she shared at the time.<\/p>\n Riot spent 91 days in the NICU and was finally able to go home on Nov. 6. However, he was back in the hospital in critical condition just two days later.<\/p>\n On Monday, Dec. 8, the couple was given a devastating update. Doctors said there was nothing else they could do for Riot\u2019s health and encouraged the new parents to discuss end-of-life arrangements.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have tried everything this go around,\u201d Shelman said at the time. \u201cWhen they came in to talk to me, they said that they have exhausted everything, and it is now time to start thinking about end of life. I knew it was coming, honestly, but it wasn\u2019t real until they just sat me down to call his dad and have that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n GoFundMe<\/p>\n Riot James Ayden<\/p>\n Despite the heartbreaking prognosis, Shelman said she was grateful for the time they’d had with their son. She even felt optimistic that things would turn around for the holidays.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m lucky because I\u2019ve gotten to be here with him every day,” she said. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping and praying he somehow makes it out of this, but we also need to be realistic and be prepared,\u201d Shelman added.<\/p>\n However, in a Dec. 11 update to a GoFundMe<\/a> page created on behalf of the parents, Shelman’s mother announced that the couple’s baby boy had died. “My grandson Riot lost his fight on Tuesday morning,” she wrote. “He passed peacefully in my daughters arms.”<\/p>\n \u201cThough he spent only a brief time with us, his life was deeply meaningful and forever cherished,\u201d an obituary<\/a> for Riot read. \u201cHe was a resilient, fearless and brave young gentleman who had a good attitude no matter what he was facing and who taught his parents how to love and fight endlessly. In the four short months he was on this earth he spread so much love and joy to everyone he came into contact with, and it was given back to him in spades.<\/p>\n \u201cRiot will be forever loved and forever missed.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"GoFundMe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/fa95992ae12fc0a87ff4722506f0fb15.jpeg\"\/)
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