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.
Yes, VERY messy. A three day clean-up job. LOL. :-)
There is a difference because Susan was braindead, Terry was only brain damaged. Terri's body maintained itself without use of machines (except a feeding tube)...Susan's body was dependant on life support to maintain heart rhythm and brain function. **encouraging your role as devil advocate :)
Unlike the Shiavo case, she was merely allowed to die. No starvation, no removed feeding tubes, just removal of the respirator.
There was no question she was brain dead, from the minute she collapses.
Her family's sacrifices to keep her alive in order that their baby might live are heroic and tragic and firmly within the sphere of the culture of life. God bless them.
"Playing" devil's advocate is in terribly poor taste.
That's beautiful, EV.
I join in prayer for this family and for this little one!
Thank you.
I love that word: 'bittersweet'. I think it is one of the most meaningful words in the English language.
And it is hard to imagine any circumstance in which it would be more fitting than in this one.
Prayers for this family in their time of sorrow mixed with joy.
bump
A side note some may not realize; the family's priest is Father Paul Scalia, who is Justice Scalia's son. He baptized the baby and gave the mother last rites.
Definitely need to keep this family in one's prayers.
Thank you. I'll look up that article.
Definitely need to keep this family in one's prayers.
Will do.
Sadness and joy are life's extremes,
representing both nightmares and dreams.
Sadness and joy will often join hands,
and bring us emotions no one understands.
We laugh, we cry, we know not why-
logic and reason this seems to defy.
It's God's way of preparing me and you,
for the journey we mortals, all must pass through.
May this family mourn the loss of the Mother with all their might, even as they celebrate the birth of this miracle child.
May God bless and strenghten them all.
I note that not one person has talked about the need or where to send money for this unfortunate soul.
The main post talks about the need and that $400 thousand has so far been contributed by people, worldwide. It says a web site has been set up to recieve donations, but fails to give the address.
Anyone know the address?
I learned a lot about Logan when Malachi was born. I definitely have hope for this baby. Just because Malachi didn't make it, doesn't mean that there is no hope!
Thanks for sharing the picture. (I am a few days behind!)
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