What an awesome story! Thanks for posting it.
Catholic Ping
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Posted on 08/06/2005 9:00:22 AM PDT by Frank Sheed
Susan Torres' Husband and Parents Reveal Strange Happening on Night of Susan's Tragic Collapse As told for the first time in interview with lifesitenews.com
ARLINGTON, VA, August 5, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The story of the heroic struggle to preserve the life of the unborn child of life-support patient Susan Torres and her husband Jason, and the miraculous birth of their baby girl, Susan Anne Catherine Torres, has unexpectedly received worldwide publicity. Thousands of news sources picked up on the fight for the life of baby Susan and broadcast the evolving miracle to hundreds of millions of readers and viewers across the globe.
In lengthy interviews with LifeSiteNews.com the parents of Susan’s husband, Jason—Sonny and Karen Torres—talked about the events that have plunged their entire family into suffering beyond imagination, and provided information and insights into their struggle that they say they have shared with no other news media.
Susan TorresJason’s soft-spoken father, Sonny, has given express permission to LifeSiteNews to print the details of what both he and his son have increasingly come to believe was a shared mystical experience, foretelling the great influence of the miraculous story of Susan and her unborn daughter, and ordering it to be spread. Sonny told LifeSiteNews that until now he has not provided any other news media with the following information because he was afraid that the mainstream media would fail to understand and would distort the story. “I want it to be done the way pro-life people would want it to be done,” he said.
Several times Sonny repeated that he is not the sort of person who is inclined to put much weight in personal mystical experiences. “I’m not the person to be spreading this kind of thing,” he said, “But it has touched me.” Karen herself assured LifeSiteNews that her husband and her son, although men of faith, have never been the type of people to go in for this sort of thing.
But now, Sonny said over the phone, as the story of Susan and her baby has spread beyond the understanding or dreams of any of the members of the Torres family, he said that he has come to believe that there must be more to it all than can be naturally explained away.
On the night of Susan’s collapse, May 7, said Sonny, he returned home with his wife Karen at about 3:00am, and went to bed, exhausted. At about 4:15am, without any warning, he awoke and sat bolt upright. Karen also awoke and asked him what the matter was.
“What it was,” he said, “it wasn’t a dream…This was so different from a dream…so…so powerful. It was words that came to me. It was a woman’s voice; my wife made me write it down. It wasn’t a request, it was a command.”
“Was it a loving voice?” he asked rhetorically. “In a way I think it was, but not the way most people would think. It was like the voice of a parent telling their kids to do something, and saying don’t question why, do it because I told you to.”
Sonny said that although it struck him at the time as a singular and unusual experience, he put it down to overwrought nerves, still barely coming to terms with the tragedy of his daughter-in-law’s sudden collapse only a few hours before. It wasn’t until the following day when he began to tell his son what happened that he was given a palpable reason to think of it as something more than imagination.
“I went to my son later that day,” continued Sonny, “and I began to tell him about it and he said ‘Stop! Let me tell you what I had.’ We compared notes, and it happened about the same time—4:15 in the morning. And his is almost word for word of mine.”
The words that both Sonny and Jason believe they heard, before the life-affirming story of Susan ever reached the ears of a journalist or a newsman, are the following:
“You and others will tell the world of a fight to save a precious life, not to change hardened hearts, but to give hope to those who believe, so that they know that there is more than what they see and hear. Let them come and see for themselves.”
Sonny’s voice shook as he read the paper on which he had written those words. “I have a hard time reading the paper…At any other time I would have thought I was a crazy person having a dream,” he said. “But the way this has taken off, I really question that now.”
When Sonny was asked why he thought that the story of Susan had gained such widespread attention he responded: “I guess, and I kind of hope it is, that people are really tired of seeing nothing but Terri Schiavo stuff, they’re really tired of reading about Laci Peterson and her baby just being thrown away. And it’s nice to see somebody that’s going the other direction.”
Karen concurred: “I would say that the Holy Spirit decided that this world needed the story of someone fighting for a little human life. And also, I’ve come to the conclusion that people are kind…kinder than people give them credit for.”
But Sonny also said that from the viewpoint of the family, the fact that their story has gone as big as it has is more than a little puzzling: “We’re kind of surprised…because to us there was no other choice. People come to all of us and they are so touched and say it’s such an honour to meet us. But we didn’t have a choice in what we did. This is the way it’s supposed to be.”
He also challenged those who have callously spoken out against Jason’s decision to keep his wife alive, to come to see the newborn baby. On the radio the day before, Sonny said, he’d heard someone saying that Catholics need to get it into their heads that life doesn’t begin until birth. “Susan was three months early,” he said, “and there’s a lot of abortions that are done on kids her size. All you have to do is stand and look at that incubator…life starts a lot earlier than birth. I just invite them…I’ll show them myself.”
Even given the strong faith of the family, however, both Karen and Sonny admitted that at no point was it easy. In early July, it is a little reported fact that Karen’s mother passed away after a long battle with cancer. “There were some days,” said Karen, “when it was difficult to put one foot in front of the other, especially with the death of my mother.”
“Our faith and the kindness of other people praying for us was the only thing that got us through.” She said that through it all she was reminded of a famous quote by president Lincoln given during the Civil War. “I’m driven to my knees by the conviction that I have nowhere else to go.”
She continued, “I tell my children, now do you understand why you must go to Church on Sunday’s and keep your spiritual life in order? You can’t get it in good order in the middle of something like this. Faith is the only thing that gets you through.”
Both Sonny and Karen, when asked if there was anything in particular that they would like printed, said that they would like to thank the millions who have stood so firmly behind their family and supported them. “Thanks to all the millions of people that have been sending even just little letters from across the world. That has kept the family and Jason going,” said Sonny. And Karen thanked the many who have donated to the Susan Torres Fund, saying “At least now [Jason] doesn’t have to file for bankruptcy while he’s burying his wife.”
They also asked for further prayers as they wait for detailed tests from the pathologist that will say for sure whether or not Susan’s melanoma passed through the placenta to her new born daughter.
To help alleviate the estimated $1 million in medical costs visit the Susan Torres Fund at http://www.susantorresfund.org
She's already a Saint having been canonized on 16 May 2004.
There's a big difference between being brain dead and removed from life support, Torres, and having one's feeding tube removed and being slowly starved to death, Schiavo.
Big difference between "brain-damaged" and "brain-dead".
This woman died right after support was stopped. She was brain-dead.
Terri Schiavo struggled for 2 weeks not to die, while being dehydrated. She was brain-damaged. Like a mentally-retarded child.
WOW, what a great story. I tell you if only those if who think the easy way out is the best way would listen to God. He promises us he will provide for us if we rely on Him and honor him. This family did that very thing and I think God will bless them for it.
BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP
Later for sure pingout.
It was now or never.
Terri was not dying, and all of her bodily systems were functioning on their own, athough she was severely brain damaged. Cutting off food and water was quite simply murder by starvation.
By way of contrast, all of Susan Torres' organs and systems were failing as a result of her brain cancer. Unlike Terri, most of Susan's bodily functions had already shut down; and to keep her baby viable, medical technology had to supply or support respiration, heartbeat, kidney dialysis, even to the point of monitoring and regulating the composition of the baby's amniotic fluid.
If all she needed was a feeding tube, removing it would be murder. But---though this sounds distressing, here it is --- once the baby was born, there was no moral obligation to continue ventilating a corpse.
To give a donation toward this family's medical expenses: www.susantorresfund.org
What an awesome story! Thanks for posting it.
Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
“Our faith and the kindness of other people praying for us was the only thing that got us through.” She said that through it all she was reminded of a famous quote by president Lincoln given during the Civil War. “I’m driven to my knees by the conviction that I have nowhere else to go.”
Bump!
I'm sure whatever was said about Terri, the Torres family didn't mean to negate Terri's memory.
At Hospice Woodside, I witnessed lots of people, some who were camera shy but they found the courage to beg for someone to save Terri's life. Some were on radio, some were on local, national cable and alphabet broadcasts. But, the govt abandoned Terri anyway. That's the pathetic part.
The "media hogs" spent Easter Sunday at the hospice death camp instead of with their families. Terri still had a fighting chance that Easter Sunday. I saw so many people sacrifice of themselves and that's what decent folks should do.
I'm sure there are freepers from the Torres' hometown who were involved in some way. That's why Free Republic is so great. Freepers are all over the place and the MSM just isn't.
Every life is important and I'm against embryonic stem cell research too.
www.conservative-spirit.org
Fregards, floriduh voter
She was murdered by starvation and dehydration and SHE KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO HER when the feeding tube was removed. Susan and Terri's condition are not similar.
It's illegal in the state of Florida to starve livestock to death.
I wish the Torres' family well.
I think you read my post wrong
Oh yeah.
This is awesome.
I think I was just posting about the Torres' family mentioning Terri and wasn't replying to you specifically on that point. Thanks for allowing me to explain.
This was posted this week although it appeared a while ago:
http://www.crisismagazine.com/feature2.htm
Please don't take any comment wrong about Terri Schiavo. While I watched this case, I was totally absorbed in Terri's fight. Fr. Eutenauer wrote an amazing article in the latest edition of the Wanderer (an RC paper) that listed all the things that the Schiavo case has spit on: the sanctity of marriage being just one. It is well worth the read. Then too, many of us found it no small thing that Terri died during Holy Week and that Pope John Paul II died shortly thereafter. To me, that was a sign from God. I believe her death and his are linked and that it broke his heart. He above all people was an advocate of the poor, the infirm, the unwanted, those who nobody cares for--a man who showed that infirmity is part of life and that all life is sacred and to be lived in obedience, in grace, and under God's will.
The baby is to give us hope that forces beyond our wildest dreams may be at work. One does not mock God. That is why the Felos article above freaks me out. I've met the type and there is not just "no there there." There is hideous evil there. I could seen him in an SS uniform with little imagination needed.
Frank
I feel there will be justice and I am not troubled but many are very traumatized to this day.
Alan Keyes is going to be on Fox News tonight at ll pm est. I don't know if he's going to talk about pro-life stuff or not. FV
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