Woman kept alive in hopes of saving baby

[ialsohaveadream]

A 26-year-old pregnant woman with cancer whose brain function ceased last month is being kept alive with a respirator in hopes she can have a very premature baby who has a chance to survive.

Susan Torres, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), lost consciousness May 7 when an undiagnosed brain tumor caused a stroke while she dined at home. Her husband, Jason Torres, says doctors told him Susan's brain functions have stopped.

Torres, also 26, says he decided to keep Susan on life support when doctors at Virginia Hospital Center here offered him the chance to disconnect the machines after they determined that she would not recover. He says he believes this is what his wife would have wanted.

A hospital spokesperson did not return calls and e-mails to discuss the case.

Against long odds, the baby Susan was carrying when she was stricken appears to be thriving after nearly 21 weeks of gestation, Torres says. If she can stay alive another month, and the cancer stays away from her uterus, the baby could be delivered and have a chance of surviving, he says. The couple has a 2-year-old son, Peter.

"I hate seeing her on those darned machines," Torres says, "and I hate using her as a husk, a carrying case, because she herself is worth so much more. But Susan really wanted this baby. And she's a very - how should I put this? - a willful lady. That's probably why she's made it this far."
That's just an excerpt. The whole article is here, and it's long. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20050616/ts_usatoday/womankeptaliveinhopesofsavingbaby)

:neartears Damn that's sad. The husband seems like a genuinely good guy, and that he's trying to remain hopeful even though his faith is sometimes tested. One of my favorite parts of the article:

His mother, Karen - "she's way, way Catholic" - has told him "when the innocent suffer, great good is let loose in the world, and souls who wouldn't otherwise have gotten in reach heaven." That's great, Torres says, but these days, his faith requires something more tangible. "I'm like, 'OK, but can I get a list of those souls, in writing?' "
:heh: If nothing else, he'll get a prayer from me.

[cheapie]

i would HATE to be in his situation. but would likely do the same thing.

[angl2b]

wow.... the faith - the love - the devotion.... touching ... :neartears :bawl: :cry:

[nickel]

i hope the babe makes it, and i think the dad is doing the right thing. i know if i were the mom i would want the same thing done in hopes for the baby's survival.

[cheapchinese]

sad story
hope the baby's healthy

[Mommypooh]

I would want my husband to do the same thing if it was me.

[ShawnLee]

I'm giving this a bump, so people don't forget about it, and more tangibly, can donate cash to them if possible.
http://www.susantorresfund.org/

That's where you can go to donate.

[ialsohaveadream]

Woot! The woman delivered!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050802/ap_on_he_me/brain_dead_pregnancy

[guiseppewv]

I'm giving this a bump, so people don't forget about it, and more tangibly, can donate cash to them if possible.
http://www.susantorresfund.org/

That's where you can go to donate.

She did deliver the baby, a girl, and they need some $$$. This is defintely a worthy cause. I am happy to hear that the baby survived.

[Jenny]

wow, amazing. Sad :( but amazing. :)

[Kevster]

I have been keeping track of this on Fark. There is a Farker there named Hammy who is the brother of the brain-dead woman who gave birth today.

[guiseppewv]

Update:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/08/03/braindead.pregnancy.ap/index.html


Brain-dead woman dies after childbirth
ARLINGTON, Virginia (AP) -- 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, a day after giving birth.

"This is obviously a bittersweet time for our family," Justin Torres, the woman's brother-in-law, said in a statement.

Susan Torres, a cancer-stricken, 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health, suffered a stroke in May after the melanoma spread to her brain.

Her family decided to keep her alive to give her fetus a chance. It became a race between the fetus' development and the cancer that was ravaging the woman's body.

Doctors said that Torres' health was deteriorating and that the risk of harm to the fetus finally outweighed the benefits of extending the pregnancy.

Torres gave birth to a daughter, Susan Anne Catherine Torres, by Caesarean section on Tuesday at Virginia Hospital Center. The baby was about two months premature and weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces. She was in the neonatal intensive care unit. (Full story)

Dr. Donna Tilden-Archer, the hospital's director of neonatology, described the child as "very vigorous." She said the baby had responded when she received stimulation, indicating she was healthy.

Doctors removed Torres from life support early Wednesday with the consent of her husband, Jason Torres, 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. "We especially thank God for giving us little Susan. My wife's courage will never be forgotten."

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.

Dr. Christopher McManus, who coordinated care for Susan Torres, put the infant's chances of developing cancer at less than 25 percent. He said 19 women who have had the same aggressive form of melanoma as Torres have given birth, and five of their babies contracted the disease.

McManus said there were no signs the cancer had crossed the placenta, which would greatly increase the baby's risk for the disease. McManus said the placenta itself is being examined for any evidence of cancer.

McManus said he is aware of no other case in which a woman afflicted with cancer has given birth while brain dead.

"She is very unique," McManus said. "We are overjoyed to be able to accomplish this goal, which three months ago seemed somewhat tenuous."

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.

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 have one other child -- 2-year-old Peter, who has been staying with his grandparents.

:(

[cheapie]

another update:

:neartears

Baby Born to Brain-Damaged Woman Dies

McLEAN, Va. — An infant born last month to an unconscious, severely brain-damaged mother has died, the family said Monday.

Susan Anne Catherine Torres (search), born prematurely on Aug. 2, died of heart failure Sunday after emergency surgery to repair a perforated intestine, a family statement said. A spokeswoman at St. Rita's Church in Alexandria said parishioners were told of the child's death during the morning Mass.

The infant's condition had deteriorated rapidly over the weekend, according to the family.

Cancer patient Susan Torres (search) was kept alive on life support for three months so she could deliver the child. Torres, a 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health, suffered a stroke in May after the melanoma spread to her brain

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169156,00.html

[Jenny]

Oh no! :( Sad!!

[attgig]

:-(

[tupacboy]

wow... that's so sad... i hope the father is ok... what a series of dramatic events...

[nickel]

:(

she's with her mama now.

[ialsohaveadream]

Ouch. Damn. :(

[kgsilvas]

Another tragedy for this family. Very sad.

[bachviet]

That sucks. :(

[ArkiStan]

OMG....this just sucks so much.
What started as an attempt to salvage life out of a seemingly tragic situation has failed and multiplied the sorrow for the father. I'm not religious at all, but it's times like these that I wish there were a heaven for people so unfortunate as the dad.

[RIVERWIDOW]

RIP baby girl. :angel: :cry: