Team Vienna 4 SUDC Awareness Inc. (nonprofit, 501c3)
Vienna Carly Savino 1/19/15 - 11/12/17
January 19, 2021 should have been Vienna’s 6th birthday
My sweet daughter was a healthy, fun-loving, caring, free-spirited, silly, beautiful 2 year old girl (2 months shy of 3 years old). She had a perpetual smile to share, infectious laughter, and was a ray of sunshine to everyone who met her. She loved to pretend to read, sing, explore various fashion choices, help her friends at school, and play with her family.
On November 12th, 2017, the unimaginable happened. Vienna fell asleep while watching TV at home in Holmdel, NJ, and never woke up. My husband and I were on our way home from a wedding when we received the frantic phone call at 7.02pm from our babysitter that Vienna wasn't breathing and paramedics were on their way. She was found unresponsive within 10 minutes of falling asleep on our family room carpet, with our older daughter, our older son, and our babysitter within 10 feet of Vienna. After a thorough investigation, including an autopsy, examination of the death scene, and a review of our child’s and family’s medical history, her death was categorized as Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). This affects kids 1-18 years old. SUDC is "SIDS, Part 2". Even Vienna's genetic studies, as part of a research study, did not reveal a cause of death. There are causes to these mysterious deaths, however we just do not know what they are yet.
Despite my husband and I being physicians, we had never heard of SUDC, nor had any of our friends or family (not to be confused with SIDS, which includes babies less than 1 year old). We soon learned that these tragedies can happen to anyone, without warning. Devastatingly, we learned about SUDC in the most difficult way possible; when it happened to us.
We are enrolled in 4 different research studies, and more than 6 years later, we STILL do not have an answer. We are hopeful that the cause of Vienna's death will be uncovered, along with that of so many other apparently healthy kids; then it can be prevented. The most prominent study is Robert's Program at Boston Children's Hospital (which will be highlighted in Vienna's film in early 2024).
It's been over 6 years since Vienna died, and that may seem like a long time ago. But that couldn't be further from the truth; for our family, it's every single day. We miss her so much.
Thank you for finding our website and reading about our sweet Vienna. xo
One way to help:
Vienna's billboards!
Thank you LAMAR Advertising Company for your generosity! In many locations in eastern Pennsylvania right now!