Update, Sept. 25, 2017: Just 11 days after Carrie DeKlyen, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier this year, passed away following the birth of her sixth child, Life Lynn, the 2-week-old premature infant has passed away [1]. The family shared the news on Sept. 21 on the Cure 4 Carrie Facebook page: "It is with great sadness and a absolutely broken heart that I tell you Life Lynn passed away last night. Carrie is now rocking her baby girl. I have no explanation of why this happened, but I do know Jesus loves us and someday we will know why. The grief we feel is almost unbearable, please be praying for our family."
On Sept. 22, Life Lynn was buried next to her mom [2] at Georgetown Cemetery in Michigan.
Update, Sept. 19, 2017: Carrie DeKlyen passed away on Sept. 9 after giving birth to her daughter, who they named Life Lynn, three days prior. She was surrounded by friends and family at Ann Arbor Hospital when they removed her feeding and breathing tubes the day after she had the baby.
Carrie gave birth last week via C-section to the baby girl at 24 weeks and five days into the pregnancy. The baby weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces and is said to be doing well despite her low birth weight. Doctors expect Life to stay in the hospital for four or five months until she fully recovers.
Orginal story: After Carrie DeKlyen was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April 2017, she enrolled in a clinical trial at the University of Michigan to fight the incurable disease. However, the mom of five was informed she wouldn't be able to receive treatment unless she terminated a pregnancy she wasn't even aware of up until that very appointment. As soon as she found out about the pregnancy, she decided to forgo treatment to give her baby a shot at life [3]. Since this decision was made, Carrie's condition has deteriorated rapidly, and at 21 weeks pregnant she is running out of time as she lies in a vegetative state on life support.
Carrie's husband, Nick, said that his wife's diagnosis was "his worst nightmare." After tons of severe headaches, Nick knew something was wrong when Carrie woke up vomiting one morning. His suspicions were unfortunately correct, and doctors diagnosed Carrie with glioblastoma, an aggressive malignant tumor that can affect the brain and spinal cord, and gave the mom about five years to live. Since then, Carrie has undergone four major brain surgeries and her health has quickly declined.
Doctors told Carrie she would die if she decided to move forward with her pregnancy, but the mom didn't care. "It was Carrie's decision and I said 'What do you want to do?' She said, 'We're keeping it,'" Nick told People. "She's going to miss us, but she knows this life is so quick and we'll see each other again in Heaven. Knowing that gives her hope and, I know it's crazy, but I support her decision."
Carrie and Nick are parents to five other children — Elijah, 18, Isaiah, 16, Nevaeh, 11, Leila, 4, and Jez, 1. Doctors hope that Carrie can make it at least seven more weeks to give Life the best chance at a safe delivery and survival. However, Carrie suffered a stroke two weeks ago and hasn't yet gained consciousness back. "I don't know if she hears me, but I tell her I love her every day. . . ." Nick said. "I look at her face and know this is what she wants and it gives me comfort. But right now, it's a race against time."
The family has set up a GoFundMe page [4] to help eliminate some of the financial burden the family has faced since Nick quit his job to be with Carrie full time. The devoted husband said he "couldn't be more proud" of his wife, adding, "She made the decision to give Life a chance at life."