A pregnant mother who refused chemotherapy in order to give her baby a chance at life, gave birth on Wednesday, Sept. 6, while in a coma.
The baby girl, named Life Lynn DeKlyen, was the sixth child for mother Carrie Deklyen, 37, and her husband, Nick.
Carrie has been in a coma since July when she suffered a stroke after undergoing four major brain surgeries to remove a tumor in her brain, according to EWTN.
In April, Carrie was diagnosed with glioblastoma—one of the most aggressive cancers—caused by rapidly growing malignant tumors in the brain that can also affect the spinal cord. Carrie had been suffering severe headaches for two weeks before she went to the hospital and was given her life-threatening diagnosis.
After her surgeries, Carrie had been accepted into a clinical trial of an experimental cancer treatment at a university hospital.
Two weeks later in preparation for treatment, Carrie had a routine health check that included a pregnancy test. It was then that doctors told Carrie that she was expectant with her sixth child.
But the doctors explained that Carrie would have to terminate the pregnancy if she wanted to go ahead with the clinical trial.
“The doctor said if you don’t terminate this baby, Carrie, you will die,” Nick told EWTN. “But it was Carrie’s decision and I said, ‘What do you want to do?’ She said, ‘We’re keeping it.’”
Carrie was moved into the intensive care unit, but the stroke knocked her unconsciousness not long after. She has remained there since.
After running tests and extensive ultrasounds on Sept. 6, doctors opted to deliver the baby believing that this was her best chance for survival, “She wasn’t even moving and was very sick,” DeKlyen’s sister-in-law, Sonya Nelson, told Michigan Live.
Baby Life was delivered into the world premature at 24 weeks and 5 days, weighing only 1 pound, 4 ounces.
“My brother said the doctors are extremely pleased with how the baby is doing,” said Sonya.
After delivering Life, Carrie has been taken off life support. Her family said on Facebook, “Carrie is very comfortable, she is in God’s hands until he calls her home. Please pray for all of us.”
Nick told Michigan Life, “She’s the kind of mom that wants to be with her kids all the time, building forts in the backyard, taking the kids on walks to the park and making them special lunches.”
“I’m going to really miss those moments,” he added.
Carrie has a GoFundMe page which has raised $84,227 towards its $100,000 goal to help provide financial support to Nick who will be raising six children under the age of five.
“Right now we are almost to the point of being able to pay Nick’s house off,” Sonya told Michigan Live. “Raising six kids on his own, we want to be able to help him as much as we can. People from across the country have been amazing with their outpouring of support.”
Nick said about his wife’s legacy, “She made the decision to give Life a chance at life. And I couldn’t be more proud.”
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