Woman in coma gives birth

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2005/08/03/194076.html

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Brain-Dead Woman in Va. Gives Birth
By KRISTEN GELINEAU, Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. - A cancer-ravaged woman robbed of consciousness by a stroke has given birth after being kept on life support for three months to give her fetus extra time to develop.

Susan Torres, whose plight has attracted support from around the world, gave birth to a daughter Tuesday by Caesarean section. The delivery went smoothly and the baby "is doing well," her brother-in-law, Justin Torres, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Susan Anne Catherine Torres weighs 1 pound, 13 ounces and is 13 1/2 inches long, he said.

Torres, a 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health, lost consciousness from a stroke May 7 after aggressive melanoma spread to her brain. Her husband, Jason Torres, said doctors told him his wife\'s brain functions had stopped.

The infant is being monitored in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, about 100 miles north of Richmond.

A hospital spokeswoman would not comment on whether Susan Torres\' life support was still in place.

Jason Torres quit his job to be by his wife\'s side, spending each night sleeping in a reclining chair next to her bed. Last month, the fetus passed the 24th week of development - the earliest point at which doctors felt the baby would have a reasonable chance to survive, the brother-in-law said.

Torres was about seven months\' pregnant when the child was delivered. Doctors had hoped to hold off on delivering the child until 32 weeks\' gestation. A full-term pregnancy is about 40 weeks.

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.

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

"The entire staff and administration of Virginia Hospital Center, especially the physicians and nurses caring for Susan Torres and Baby Girl Torres, are delighted with the successful delivery," the hospital said in a statement. A spokeswoman declined to release additional details.

Since 1979, there have been at least a dozen similar cases published in English medical literature, said Dr. Winston Campbell, director of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center, which conducted research on the topic.

That\'s insane.  So while her brain has stopped functioning the fetus was still able to get all the nutrients it needed to survive.  Not to be an azzhole but I wonder if the husband will be pulling the plug just like Shiavo.  I know I wouldn\'t want to be in that state for years and years.

Blame it on the liberals

[Living-In-Clip]

Originally posted by THX
http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2005/08/03/194076.html

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That\'s insane.  So while her brain has stopped functioning the fetus was still able to get all the nutrients it needed to survive.  Not to be an azzhole but I wonder if the husband will be pulling the plug just like Shiavo.  I know I wouldn\'t want to be in that state for years and years.

I do believe a recent news update said that they was indeed goin\' to pull the plug on her or already had.

Yup she\'s a gonner.

When I originally read the article elsewhere, I mistakenly thought she was in a coma during conception, heh...

Sad ending.

-Dan