Infant with online 'bucket list' dies

BELLAIRE, Texas, May 1 (UPI) -- A 6-month-old Texas girl whose parents created an online bucket list after learning she had a fatal illness has died, her father said.

Mike Canahuati of Bellaire, Texas, near Houston said on the blog his daughter Avery Lynn, who was born with spinal muscular atrophy type 1, died Monday of pulmonary complications related to the genetic disorder, CNN reported.

Canahuati said he revived her for a short time with life-saving techniques but she died before arriving at the hospital.

"Avery's passing this quickly came as a complete shock to all of us, as she had just been given a thumbs up at her last doctors appointment only three days ago," her father wrote Tuesday. "While we were aware of the severity of her diagnosis, we never lost hope for Avery and even in her passing, we still have hope for our daughter and all of her friends."

The blog, at averycan.blogspot.com, went viral and had more than 2.8 million page views by Tuesday afternoon.

Her father had written the blog entries as if Avery had written them.

While doctors said she would not live past age 2, the bucket list included experiences her parents hoped she would have as a healthy girl.

In an entry Tuesday, Avery's father wrote: "Dear Mommy & Daddy: If you're reading this it's because I've gone to take care of my Uncle Bryant, Nana Carolyn, Papa George, and all my great Grandparents. I love you veeeeeeeeeery much. Also, tell Nana & G-Pa I love them too. In fact, tell everyone who loved me that I love them and I appreciate them caring about me."

Avery, the blog says, had gotten some of what she included on the bucket list -- giving her mother and father a kiss, blowing bubbles and throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game (a Houston-area minor league baseball team's game).

The Canahuatis said one in 6,000 babies is born with one of four types of SMA.

Her father said on the blog he would continue working to promote SMA awareness and help find a cure.