Dad Writes Heartbreaking Tribute To Wife Who Is Carrying Baby Without Brain To Term

by Guest Thu Feb 23, 2017 8:40 am

In Oklahoma father paid tribute to his pregnant wife’s selflessness in a beautiful viral post. On Feb. 17, Royce Young posted a photo of his wife, Keri, on Facebook. The photo shows Keri, who is seven months pregnant with their second child, sleeping peacefully on their couch. In the long caption, Royce explained why his wife is so inspiring to him and shared the tearjerking details of this pregnancy.

Keri is pregnant with a baby girl, whom she and her husband have decided to name Eva. Tragically, the couple learned at their 19-week ultrasound that their daughter did not have a brain. Royce described that moment in his Facebook post.

“Somehow through full body ugly crying, Keri looked up and asked, ‘If I carry her full term, can we donate her organs?’ ... There I was, crestfallen and heartbroken, but I momentarily got lifted out of the moment and just stood in awe of her. I was a spectator to my own life, watching a superhero find her superpowers. In literally the worst moment of her life, finding out her baby was going to die, it took her less than a minute to think of someone else and how her selflessness could help. It’s one of the most powerful things I’ve ever experienced. In the eight years we’ve been married (and 15 years together) I’ve had a lot of moments stop me in my tracks where I thought, “holy crap, this woman I’m married to, lucky me.” But this one was different. It hit me that not only am I married to my very best friend, but to a truly remarkable, special human being.”

Royce, who writes about basketball for ESPN.com, noted in the post that he went to New Orleans for NBA All-Star Weekend and met an “awesome” kid named Jarrius, who needs a liver transplant. Royce said meeting Jarrius inspired him to post the photo of his wife and his thoughts about her strength.
“Keri has been in the trenches the entire time, feeling every little kick, every hiccup and every roll,” he wrote. “She’s reminded every moment of every day that she’s carrying a baby that will die. Her back hurts. Her feet are sore. She’s got all the super fun pregnant stuff going on.”

He added, “But the light at the end of her nine-month tunnel will turn into a darkness she’s never felt before a couple hours or days after Eva is born. She’s the one that is going to deal with all that comes with having a baby ― her milk coming in, the recovery process, etc, but with no snuggly, soft, beautiful newborn to look at to remind you that it was all worth it.”

Ultimately, Royce wrote, they take comfort in knowing that their daughter can be a “miracle” for another family in need of an organ donation for their baby ― just as Jarrius and his family are hoping for their own miracle.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dad-writes-heartbreaking-tribute-to-wife-who-is-carrying-baby-without-brain-to-term_us_58ac892be4b06e5f777b2aa8?section=us_good-news

by Syl Thu Feb 23, 2017 1:10 pm

Its a heartbreakingly sad story.

The article says.." Royce said he also wants to shed light on another aspect of reproductive freedom ― that “choice” does not exclusively refer to termination but can mean choosing to bring their baby into the world and letting her life save others."

They are choosing to let the baby grow full term so she may help others, but what sort of suffering will that baby have to endure till she dies of her horrendous disabilities?
I know no one can really know till they have walked in another persons shoe, but to me, I think I would have chosen to end her suffering whilst in the womb rather than to keep her alive just to use her for an organ donor.

Dad Writes Heartbreaking Tribute To Wife Who Is Carrying Baby Without Brain To Term

Dad Writes Heartbreaking Tribute To Wife Who Is Carrying Baby Without Brain To Term

Re: Dad Writes Heartbreaking Tribute To Wife Who Is Carrying Baby Without Brain To Term