Lil’ miracle baby

Posted by Tammy on Aug 3, 2005 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

I’ve been following the story of Susan Torres via Jody’s blog, along with a bit of coverage via Fox News. Yesterday, Susan gave birth (via c-section) to a baby girl. The baby is named after her mom, who suffered a stroke (and was declared braindead) while battling cancer. Today, Susan’s family removed her from life support, and she passed away.

What a sad story for Mom Susan…but what a great way to carry on in the form of a brand new life.

Also, a reminder…donations can be to the Torres family here.

A bit of the story follows.

HT to Jody, along with Michelle Malkin, Prolife Blogs, and Charmaine Yoest

Brain-Dead Va. Woman Dies After Giving Birth
Wednesday, August 03, 2005

RICHMOND, Va. — A brain-dead woman who was kept alive for three months so she could deliver the child she was carrying was removed from life support Wednesday and died, a day after giving birth.

“This is obviously a bittersweet time for our family,” Justin Torres (search), the woman’s brother-in-law, said in a statement.

Susan Torres (search), a cancer-stricken, 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health (search), suffered a stroke in May after melanoma spread to her brain.

Her family decided to keep her alive to give her fetus a chance. It became a race between the fetus’ development and the cancer that was ravaging the woman’s body.

Doctors said that Torres’ health was deteriorating and that the risk of harm to the fetus finally outweighed the benefits of extending the pregnancy.

Torres gave birth to a daughter, Susan Anne Catherine Torres, by Caesarean section on Tuesday at Virginia Hospital Center. The baby was about two months premature and weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces. She was in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Dr. Donna Tilden-Archer, the hospital’s director of neonatology, described the child as “very vigorous.” She said the baby had responded when she received stimulation, indicating she was healthy.

Doctors removed Torres from life support early Wednesday with the consent of her husband, Jason Torres, after she received the final sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church.

“We thank all of those who prayed and provided support for Susan, the baby and our family,” Jason Torres said in a statement. “We especially thank God for giving us little Susan. My wife’s courage will never be forgotten.”