Posted on 08/03/2005 1:08:28 PM PDT by Pyro7480
Brain-Dead Woman Dies After Giving Birth
By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer
ARLINGTON, 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, her family said.
Susan Torres' plight attracted worldwide sympathy after she suffered a stroke in May as she battled cancer. She gave birth to a daughter, Susan Anne Catherine Torres, on Tuesday by Caesarean section.
"This is obviously a bittersweet time for our family," Justin Torres, her brother-in-law, said in a statement.
With the consent of her husband, Jason Torres, doctors at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington turned off Torres' life support early Wednesday 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 released by the hospital.
"We especially thank God for giving us little Susan. My wife's courage will never be forgotten," he said.
The delivery went smoothly and the baby "is doing well," Justin Torres had said earlier in an e-mail to The Associated Press. The baby weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces, he said.
Torres, a 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health, lost consciousness from a stroke May 7 after aggressive melanoma spread to her brain. Her husband, Jason Torres, said doctors told him his wife's brain functions had stopped.
The infant is being monitored in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.
Jason Torres quit his job to be by his wife's side, spending each night sleeping in a reclining chair next to her bed. Last month, the fetus passed the 24th week of development — the earliest point at which doctors felt the baby would have a reasonable chance to survive, the brother-in-law said.
Torres was about seven months pregnant when the child was delivered. Doctors had hoped to hold off on delivering the child until 32 weeks' gestation. A full-term pregnancy is about 40 weeks.
A Web site was set up to help raise money for the family's mounting medical bills, and as of two weeks ago, people from around the world had donated around $400,000. The family said it must pay tens of thousands of dollars each week that insurance does not cover.
The couple have one other child — 2-year-old Peter, who has been staying with his grandparents.
"The entire staff and administration of Virginia Hospital Center, especially the physicians and nurses caring for Susan Torres and Baby Girl Torres, are delighted with the successful delivery," the hospital said in a statement. A spokeswoman declined to release additional details.
Since 1979, there have been at least a dozen similar cases published in English medical literature, said Dr. Winston Campbell, director of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center, which conducted research on the topic.
Haven't seen a real explanation of why they took the baby when they did, so I don't know if the cancer was a factor.
Earlier reports on her condition noted that while the baby had not yet been affected by the cancer, there was a risk the placenta could become involved and force delivery.
They also said that if the mother's liver began to fail they'd have to deliver ASAP, so maybe that was it.
I hadn't seen an explanation either. I hope the baby does well.
:o)
This is a heartbreaking story, but I'm glad the baby is OK.
Aww! a miracle baby sent by the heavens above! the poor woman was kept alive long enough for the little one to have a chance at life!
my prayers for the family and may Susan Torres rest happily in her father-in-heaven's arms.
:(
She had to be a special woman for her husband to stand by her that way. Can't say the same of MpieceofS.
Ahhh! That fella sounds like he's planning something devious...LOL
WHAT a sweetheart.
Yeah. ;O)
Yep, cy. You can say that again.
"MpieceofS." LOL. SO fitting.
God rest this poor woman's soul. God LOVE her loving husband and their little gift of live from Above.
live=life. BEAUTIFUL life.
de nada.
Go to the link of the Termite's thread and near the bottom, around post 11,000 or so, there are more of them. There are lots more scattered throughout the thread, but sadly some of them are now "broken links".
She was BRAIN DEAD!!!!!!
He probably is, but from all reports he's a pretty happy kid. But that doesn't stop him from being devious, just to satisfy that rampant curiosity, if for no other reason. :)
Tears in my eyes over this. RIP, Susan.
Nobody pulled the plug on Terri Schiavo. She was not alive due to any machines, she was alive on her own. The only thing that caused her to die was dehydration and starvation.
"Texas Termite." GOTTA love that moniker for him, El Gato. :-)
Well, maybe devious isn't the word. But he does look like he's planning something very messy, anyway. ;O)
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