Mum Carries Her Terminally Ill Baby To Save Other Lives Through Infant Organ Donation

A mother, who was given the option to abort her terminally ill baby girl, decided to carry her to full term to save other young lives through infant organ donation.

Abbey and Robert Ahern, of Oklahoma in the US, was left devastated after a 19-week scan of their third child, revealed that their baby had anencephaly – a condition that prevented parts of her skull and brain from developing and was “incompatible with life”.

“It just sucked the air right out of my lungs, I knew what he was saying, but I couldn’t really apply it to us or to our baby,” Ms Ahern wrote in an article published by Good Housekeeping magazine.

Despite this, the couple named their unborn daughter, Annie, which means “grace.” “We knew she had a purpose “” even though she was not made for this world,” Ms Ahern said.

She said that they were given an option for a late-term abortion, which about 95 per cent of women do in her position, but she and her husband decided against it, especially as doctors assured the couple that Annie’s condition would not cause pain on Ms Ahern.

At that appointment, Ms Ahern asked the doctor about organ donation. She said that the doctor initially appeared puzzled, as infant organ donation had never been done before in Oklahoma, but he consulted with other physicians.

“I wanted Annie’s life to ultimately give life to other children.

“We didn’t know how long Annie would survive, but our time would certainly be short. I tried to plan for every possible scenario,” she said.

Ms Ahern said that while she prepared for her baby’s birth and inevitable death shortly after, the pregnancy was emotional for her. She would break down in tears in the baby section of department stores trying to pick an outfit for Annie, which she said would likely be the only outfit her baby would wear.

When Annie was born in June 2013, she didn’t cry much, but Ms Ahern said she heard her making noise.

“They showed her to me, and she was so beautiful.”

“I remember holding her hands and pressing my face on hers and smelling her. I couldn’t kiss her enough.

“We were just so happy she was born alive and we were going to get time with our baby girl. It was wonderful,” she said.

Then, the necessary testing for organ donation was done, and Annie was taken off oxygen to not delay her life and death process.

Ms Ahern said she knew her baby girl’s time was up when she heard Annie gasp for air.

“I told Annie it was okay, she could go, and I loved her.

“Annie got to be with us all day, and she was ready… She spent her entire life surrounded by love, joy and peace. There was no sorrow, even when she passed away,” she said.

The family was disappointed to hear her oxygen levels were too low for too long to be viable for transplant, but she was able to donate her heart valves for recipients and other organs for research.

Annie may have only lived for 15 hours but she paved the way for other infants to donate their organs.

In addition to the couple’s older girls Dylan, who is now seven, and five-year-old Harper, Mr and Mrs Ahern soon became pregnant with their fourth daughter Iva, who recently turned two.

“Annie’s story is one of hope.

“I think it shows people that in the midst of tragedy, there can be beauty. Annie was not ours to keep “” her story was meant to be shared, and I intend to do so until the day I die,” Ms Ahern said.

Sources: Au.news.yahoo.com and News.com.au