Young Beallsville mother dies after struggling with heart surgery, illness
Brittany Mancini and Ben Sakel with their son, Bentley Michael, shortly after his birth on Nov. 19. Mancini, who had open heart surgery just days after Bentley's birth, died Friday.
Courtesy of Ben Sakel
Bentley, the infant son of Brittany Mancini and Ben Sakel, is shown in this recent photo.
Days before she died, Brittany Mancini told Ben Sakel, the father of her son, she was comforted by the fact that Sakel would be there for their baby.
“She said, ‘You know what? I’m so happy that you’ll take care of him, no matter what,'” recalled Sakel. “I was taken aback. I told her, ‘Of course. You know that and I know that.’ She never talked like that. I think she knew something was the matter.”
Mancini, 23, died Thursday in Washington Hospital.
“I love her,” said Sakel. “She was the love of my life. She was a good person. She loved our son.”
The young couple faced many hardships over the past several months, starting with the premature birth of Bentley Michael on Nov. 19. But they were optimistic about their future.
“I was getting back to work,” said Sakel, who runs his own business, Sakel’s Concrete Solutions. “They were both doing great, but the baby was real fussy. The doctor said that’s because he was growing, and because he was premature.”
Bentley was born six weeks before Mancini’s due date. For a few days, both mother and son appeared to be fine. But on day three, everything changed.
Mancini was told she would have to have surgery immediately to repair her heart. The aortic valve, she was told, was severely damaged.
Hours later, Bentley was flown by medical helicopter to the neonatal intensive care unit of Children’s Hospital, Pittsburgh. Like many premature babies, he had difficulty breathing and gaining weight.
Sakel went back and forth from Mancini’s bedside to Bentley’s. After 10 days, Mancini, a 2013 Trinity graduate, was released from the hospital, but continued to receive treatment for a blood infection. Doctors later said the heart condition was caused by bacteria in her bloodstream from an abscessed tooth.
Bentley would remain in the hospital until the end of December, when he came home to their Beallsville apartment.
Finances were a major concern for the couple. Sakel and Mancini, who worked at CVS in Richeyville before Bentley’s birth, worried about paying their regular bills on top of growing medical bills. Sakel also was starting to worry about Mancini’s recovery. He suggested his parents take care of Bentley for awhile.
“She didn’t get her rest the way she should have,” he said. “I told her to let my mom and dad have him, but she didn’t want to. They offered and we talked about it, but she wanted to keep him with her.”
About 10 days ago, Sakel and Mancini became ill. Though not tested, they were sure it was the influenza virus.
“You know when you have the flu. We were both sick, but my immune system is normal, and I got better,” he said. “She never got better. But she didn’t complain. She never complained.”
On Thursday, Sakel went to work for a few hours. When he got home, Mancini was tossing and turning in bed.
“My stomach,” she told him, over and over.
She couldn’t walk, so Sakel tried to lift her into his truck to take her to the hospital.
“I’m a pretty big guy and I couldn’t get her to the truck. Her lips were purple, so I called 911,” he said.
Mancini died a short time later.
“I can’t believe it. I still can’t believe it,” said Sakel, who was told the cause was likely septicemia, a blood infection.
With his parents, Sharen and George, caring for Bentley, Sakel is relying on family and friends for support.
“I can’t be in the apartment by myself. She was always there, waiting for me,” he said.
The night of Mancini’s death, Sakel posted on social media, finding comfort from thousands of people who had followed the family’s journey. Friends immediately created a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.
“People really seem to care,” he said.
Sakel tells himself that he has to keep going, for Bentley’s sake.
“He’s doing good. He’s doing awesome. He’s on pace to be right where he needs to be. I just love him,” he said. “I love her. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her.”
Arrangements are being handled by Nichol Funeral Home, 1873 E. Maiden St., Washington.