Posted on 09/12/2005 8:40:10 PM PDT by TightyRighty
McLEAN, Va. - An infant born last month to a severely brain-damaged woman died Monday after emergency surgery to repair a perforated intestine.
Susan Anne Catherine Torres, born prematurely on Aug. 2 after her mother was on life support for three months, died of heart failure at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, a family statement said.
The infant's condition had deteriorated rapidly during the weekend, according to the family. The baby's prematurity led to an intestinal disorder and an infection that overwhelmed her body, and she died just after midnight, the hospital said.
Cancer patient Susan Rollin Torres, a 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health, suffered a stroke in May after melanoma spread to her brain. She was kept alive on life support so she could deliver the child.
A spokeswoman at St. Rita's Church in Alexandria said parishioners were told of the child's death during the morning Mass.
"After the efforts of this summer to bring her into the world, this is obviously a devastating loss for the Torres and Rollin families," Justin Torres, the woman's brother-in-law, said in the e-mailed statement. "We wish to thank all the people who sustained us in prayer over the past 17 weeks. It was our fondest wish that we could have been able to share Susan's homecoming with the world."
The baby's father, Jason Torres, had made the decision after his wife lost consciousness to keep her on life support for the sake of her fetus.
The pregnancy became a race between the fetus' development and the cancer that was ravaging the woman's body. Doctors at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, where the baby was born, had said at the time that Torres' health was deteriorating and that the risk of harm to the fetus finally outweighed the benefits of extending the pregnancy.
The mother died shortly after her daughter's birth when she was taken off life support. The baby was about two months premature and weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces.
After her birth, doctors said they saw no signs that her mother's cancer had crossed the placenta, and they described her as feisty and vigorous. In late August, the family said Susan had passed the 2-pound mark and had been taken off a ventilator, though she remained in neonatal intensive care.
English-language medical literature contains at least 11 cases since 1979 of irreversibly brain-damaged women whose lives were prolonged for the benefit of the developing fetus, according to the University of Connecticut Health Center.
Jason Torres had quit his job to be by his wife's side, spending each night sleeping in a reclining chair next to her bed. The couple had one other child — 2-year-old Peter.
A Web site was set up to help raise money for the family's mounting medical bills and people from around the world had sent in more than $600,000 as of early last month. Any excess money was to be donated to cancer research and to establish a college savings plan for the two children.
*sigh* There just aren't words...
Oh .. so heartbreaking. The little angel is with her Momma for eternity. God bless this brave and wonderful Dad and family.
I know I pinged some of you to this earlier, but sometimes (me at least) the pings get lost.
PLEASE PLEASE pray for this Dad...he's lost SO much.
I join in earnest prayer for this man who has lost so much!
Damm. Ya gotta try, I suppose.
I, too will join you. That poor man. I can't imagine such a series of losses.
What an ordeal that family has had to endure:( I was so hopeful that Baby Susan would do well. condolences to the family.
Already done
Oh man, that's just heart breaking. Prayers go out to the family. May God comfort them and give them strength in the difficult days ahead.
The mom was Christian? Where does it say that?
Meaning?
That is sad. Sorry to hear about it.
It is morons like you who make Christians look like judgemental, hypercritical jerks. Good job - hope you're proud of yourself.
God bless this family. It was the right thing to do, to try. Now she's with her Mommy. It is a beautiful thing.
I think they were/are Catholic which is Christian.
Most of us here at FR who follow and offer up Prayers on Freepers or stories that are in the media of this nature tend to have read many threads and or posts so we know from past articles or threads information that some may not be aware of.
However Windsong if you want a source I am free for the moment to go bring up an old article to factually back the claim of the Torres' believe in Christ.
I don't get it?
Windsong asked a question.
If Windsong has no history regarding this event unlike many of us who were Praying for the lil babe and family what is so moronic about Windsong?
And how does that make Christian look judgemental?
Yo! It says it in the article.
Here:
Cancer patient Susan Rollin Torres, a 26-year-old researcher at the
National Institutes of Health, suffered a stroke in May after melanoma spread to her brain. She was kept alive on life support so she could deliver the child.
A spokeswoman at St. Rita's Church in Alexandria said parishioners were told of the child's death during the morning Mass.
"After the efforts of this summer to bring her into the world, this is obviously a devastating loss for the Torres and Rollin families," Justin Torres, the woman's brother-in-law, said in the e-mailed statement. "We wish to thank all the people who sustained us in prayer over the past 17 weeks. It was our fondest wish that we could have been able to share Susan's homecoming with the world."
On second look Windsong either did not read the article or somehow missed this part:
Cancer patient Susan Rollin Torres, a 26-year-old researcher at the
National Institutes of Health, suffered a stroke in May after melanoma spread to her brain. She was kept alive on life support so she could deliver the child.
A spokeswoman at St. Rita's Church in Alexandria said parishioners were told of the child's death during the morning Mass.
"After the efforts of this summer to bring her into the world, this is obviously a devastating loss for the Torres and Rollin families," Justin Torres, the woman's brother-in-law, said in the e-mailed statement. "We wish to thank all the people who sustained us in prayer over the past 17 weeks. It was our fondest wish that we could have been able to share Susan's homecoming with the world."
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