MIAMI, Florida — A Georgia boy who was awaiting a rare five-organ transplant passed away on Wednesday morning, his family announced.
11Alive's Kaitlyn Ross first shared the story of six-month-old Wyatt Patterson's battle with a rare birth defect in April.
Wyatt was born with gastroschisis, where his intestines formed outside of his abdomen. He went to the hospital for liver failure shortly after he was born.
Wyatt and his family, who are from Winder, Georgia, moved 700 miles to Miami Holtz Children's Hospital and spent two months there as he awaited his five new organs.
Since Wyatt was born on Dec. 3, 2020, he only saw the inside of a hospital room.
In a Facebook post, Wyatt's mother Courtney Patterson posted a special tribute honoring her baby boy.
"Our sweet baby boy made his way up to heaven this morning. He fought and fought, but his body was just working too hard against him," Courtney wrote in the post. "Even though we can’t understand why this had to happen to our beautiful little boy, I can honestly say the only comfort I’m finding is in the fact that he’s no longer in pain or suffering."
Courtney continued to say she wishes she could squeeze his finger one more time, see his smile and hear his laugh.
"I love you forever my son. I always will. You were a part of me and now it feels like a huge piece of my life is missing," she said. "Rest In Peace my sweet little guardian angel. We will be together again someday. This world didn’t deserve someone as sweet and perfect as you baby."