Bittersweet story of life and death

A bittersweet story hit the headlines last week. It's the kind of story that shows us, in very clear ways, the continuity between life and death. It shows us the closeness as well as the distance between these two extreme poles of our lives.

It all happened in the United States. Susan Michelle Rollin Torres was rushed to the hospital after she lost consciousness on May 7. Torres, 26, suffered a stroke caused by melanoma that spread to her brain.

She was put on life support. Because she was pregnant, her husband, Jason, decided to keep her alive so her baby could be delivered.

After 27 weeks of gestation, the baby was born, weighing 825 g and measuring 33 cm. Susan Anne Catherine was born at 8.18 a.m. on Tuesday at the Virginia Hospital Centre in Arlington.

The baby remained under the care and observation of staff in the hospital centre's neonatal intensive care unit. Within 24 hours, the Torres family celebrated the birth and baptism of Susan Anne Catherine Torres and mourned the passing of the child's mother, Susan Michelle Rollin Torres, who was brain-dead and had been on life support until her baby could be delivered.

Family members agreed that this was a bittersweet moment for all of them. Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde said in a statement that, like so many, he had prayed for the well-being of the baby, for Susan and for the Torres family.

"We rejoice at news of the birth of Susan Anne Catherine Torres. I am deeply moved by the extraordinary witness to the sacredness of life from its very beginning, which the Torres family has given to our society," he said. "We now mourn the loss of Susan, and bring her and her entire family before the Lord in prayer."

The Torres family said they received much support from priests at St Rita parish in Alexandria, where Jason Torres and his family are members, and from the Catholic community in general.

As the cancer spread rapidly through Susan's body, the team of physicians "determined that the risk of continuing her pregnancy had become greater than the risk of delivering the baby at the gestational age of 27 weeks," Dr Archie McPherson, vice-president and chief medical officer at the hospital, said. The goal had been to deliver the baby after 24 weeks, but preferably at 32 weeks.

It appeared the placenta was not affected by the melanoma, Dr Rodney McLaren, medical director for maternal fetal medicine, said, though doctors planned to run more tests on it.

According to Dr Donna Tilden-Archer, medical director of neonatology, the moment the baby was born she was vigorous and in good condition, even though she is no bigger than a size 12 shoe.

The baby will remain in the neonatal unit for at least three months until the original due date, October 31. Doctors agree that there is a strong chance that the baby will survive, even though there are still challenges ahead, Dr Tilden-Archer said.

The day after the birth the mother's life-support machines were disconnected.

When Susan Torres was admitted to the hospital in early May, melanoma, a deadly cancer, had aggressively spread through much of her body, Dr Christopher McManus, her attending physician, said. While the cancer begins in the skin, in her case it grew and affected her liver, adrenal glands and finally her brain.

Her passing is being described as a testament to the truth that human life is a gift from God and that children are always to be fought for, even if life requires - as it did of Susan - the last full measure of devotion.