Mother on Life Support Gives Birth 8/4/2005
By Kristen Martin
Susan Torres, who lost consciousness last May due to a severe stroke, gave birth to a baby girl
Susan Torres, who lost consciousness last May due to a severe stroke, gave birth to a baby girl Tuesday by Caesarean Section after being placed on life-support for three months in order to save the life of her baby.
The baby, Susan Anne Catherine Torres, weighs 1 pound, 13 ounces and is 13 ½ inches long. She is being monitored in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia.
In a letter to the Associated Press by Justin Torres, Susan's brother-in-law, the delivery went smoothly and the baby is said to be doing well.
"Susan and her husband Jason have been an inspiration to millions of Americans. Their devotion to their child and to God has been a living example of true love, of willingness in the most difficult of circumstances to preserve an innocent life. They may never know how many lives have been touched by their quiet sacrifice, heartbreak and joy," said Wendy Wright, senior policy director for Concerned Women for America.
Last month, the baby passed the 24th week of development- a time in which doctors say a baby has the best chance of survival. Susan had been pregnant for 7 months when the baby was delivered. Doctors usually start the delivery process after 32 weeks of gestation; a normal pregnancy period is 40 weeks.
As of two weeks ago, people from around the world had given $400,000 for medical bills through a web site describing the Torres family's ordeal. Click here to help: www.susantorresfund.org.
There has been no word on the current condition of Susan Torres.
The couple has another child, 2-year-old Peter, who has been staying with his grandparents.
In a report by the Associated Press, Dr. Winston Campbell, director of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center, said that since 1979, there have been at least a dozen similar cases published in English medical literature.
As prayer has been a source of strength for Jason, Concerned Women for America is asking people to pray for the Torres family as they begin a new stage of life with the birth of their precious baby girl.
Conncerned Women for America
1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 488-7000
Fax: (202) 488-0806