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“Baby Shane is here!”  his remarkable parents proudly announced Thursday morning to the hundreds of thousands of followers of the Facebook page that the young Pennsylvania couple, Jenna and Dan Haley, created to mark their son’s short life.

Hours later they posted a follow-up notice, accompanied by six beautiful photos, announcing that as expected, their much-loved son, who was diagnosed in utero with anencephaly, had died within hours of his birth.

“Today at 6:15AM, after meeting his entire family and being baptized into the Catholic faith, baby Shane died peacefully in his Mother's arms,” they wrote in a post that was “liked” by nearly 450,000 people within hours.

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Jenna and Michael Haley with baby Shane

“Shane spent his entire life in the arms of people that loved him unconditionally and I don't think you could ask for a more beautiful life then that .. he is home now with the Lord and will forever be our little miracle!”

Baby Shane was diagnosed with anencephaly last winter, after Jenna was checked out after a car accident. The condition, which leaves part of the brain missing, strikes one child in 4,900, and is usually fatal within hours of birth.

Faithful Catholics four years married, the Haleys rejected abortion from the outset and took to the social media for support—and a miracle.

They decided to celebrate their time with Shane by creating “Shane’s Bucket List” and sharing with supporters the progress of the pregnancy and their happy visits to nearby landmarks.

“We know we have this time with him and that’s awesome,” Jenna told NBC Philadelphia.

Nearly 800,000 followed the Haleys as they checked items off their bucket list via their Facebook page, Prayers for Shane, and by subscribing to #shanesbucketlist, enlivened by the parents cheerful narration, photographs and many graphic expressions of love for their pre-born son.

And judging by their comments, many followers prayed for them as requested. The audience also made well-wishing signs, knitted caps and variously demonstrated their support for Shane and his parents.

Dan and Jenna were appreciative. “The positive thoughts and prayers are amazing,” they wrote, adding, “Shane is always so active and it truly is the little things in life that mean the most.”

“Every kick and every hiccup remind us how lucky we are to have Shane for the time that we do.”

The sports-minded family “took” Shane to all his father’s local ball games and several of his uncle’s at Penn State U. They also took him to meet Philadelphia Phillies players and to both playoff and pre-season Flyers games, and a junket to New York City to take in the Empire State Building, Madison Square Gardens and Times Square.

Closer to home the family went to museums, shrines for St. John Neumann and St. Rita of Cascia, said the weekly rosary at St. Lawrence Church, and took a ride on the heritage Strasburg Railroad. “Shane kicked the whole train ride,” reported Jenna.

Hoping for the best, the couple shopped for a crib and a walker, and as the awaited day approached, reported the final stages as breathlessly as any expectant couple. When Jenna developed hydramnios (the baby produced too much amniotic fluid) doctors decided to induce delivery, as duly reported by Dan.

Then, “Update: Jenna is now fully dilated .. she will begin pushing within a half hour! .. our next update will be after little Shane is here .. thank you again so much for your prayers and support .. it's been an amazing journey and we can't wait to finally hold Shane in our arms!”

Next, “Baby Shane is here!! .. Mom and Baby are doing well! .. more details and pictures to come!”

And then the final announcement about Shane’s passing. “We are so grateful for the time that we were blessed to hold and hug our son,” they wrote. “The support and prayers we have received from all of you have been amazing and we want to thank each of you with all our hearts.”

Typical of the many comments on their final post was this from Shaunta and  Ron Dunbar: “As tears roll down my cheeks reading this I can't help but smile. Your courage, your strength, your bravery is inspirational. Thank you for sharing your joy, love, your beautiful little boy, your heartache, and loss with all of us.”