Posted on 12/10/2005 1:15:39 AM PST by LadyDoc
Tributes have been paid to a Teesside mother who sacrificed her own life to save that of her unborn baby.
Bernadette Mimura, 37, from Ingleby Barwick, was diagnosed with breast cancer one month into her pregnancy.
Doctors urged her to try life-saving drugs, but this would have meant terminating the pregnancy.
Ms Mimura refused the drugs and gave birth to her fit and healthy baby, but lived just long enough to see her son, Nathan, baptised.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
It's true there was no way of knowing if the baby would have aborted early or not. However, if it had aborted naturally she could have then received treatment. But as long as the baby was alive and growing, this true Mother who truly lived up to the name of "Mother" (unlike so many women of today), did what was right: she left the decision for life and death in God's hands, rather than taking it into her own. He could have preserved her life also, or caused the baby to abort naturally, but He didn't.
If both had died, what would it have served? That's not for us to answer. It is ours to be obedient to Him and leave the consequences to Him, whatever they may be. Death sometimes serves His purpsoes more than life does, especially when we realize that physical death is not the end of one's life.
Carolyn
Carolyn
Ironically, under Catholic Law, she could not abort or kill her child, but you are allowed to take Chemotherapy or radiation therapy for your cancer, even if you know the "unwanted side effect" would be that the child would spontaneously miscarry...
So she chose to take the chance and let her child live...
As a doctor, I would have pointed out this to her...and encouraged her to take the treatment...
Ironically, breast cancer in young women often metastasizes very early, and has a lower cure rate than in older women...so by refusing Chemo, I suspect she would have gained a couple years, but still died......the cancer grows quickly with hormones, but even faster during pregnancy...
And such cases are not that rare...
I had a patient with a fast growing sarcoma who chose to refuse radiation (a cancer also with a poor prognosis)...she was dying at 7 months, and hoping to live long enough for her child to die...and I've had two ladies with cervical cancer wait til after pregnancy to treat, and one whose cancer was more advanced who chose immediate radiation therapy for this, and the child died... the last mother cries about it to this day, but said she had three living children and chose to be with them...
Not all these people were "religious" either...
This woman had three small children, too. I'm not saying she made the wrong decision, by any means; I'm saying she made a very hard decision, and I would not have blamed her or considered it selfish or wrong had she decided the other way.
I'm sure God is richly rewarding this brave mother.
Prayers for her family.
Pinged from Terri December Dailies
8mm
UNTO God's gracious mercy and protection we commit her. The Lord bless and keep her. The Lord make his face to shine upon her, and be gracious unto her. The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon her and give her peace, both now and evermore. Amen.
Prayers for all -- I am sure this mother has a place in heaven!
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