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The Dallas Morning News is reporting on a painfully tragic and yet undeniably beautiful story about a pregnant mom.
A 38-year-old Carrollton, Texas woman, Deirdrea Laux, and her husband T.K., learned during an ultrasound that their unborn baby boy had trisomy 13, a rare and often fatal birth defect in which the baby almost always dies shortly after birth.
The couple chose to keep the child, and a Dallas Morning News reporter spent the final three months of the pregnancy with the Lauxes, through the birth and the days that followed. The baby's name was Thomas.
"Thomas was meant to be theirs," T.K. told the doctors, according to the article. "He had purpose. However brief his life might be, it was a gift."
The reporter accompanied the couple to church, where they dedicated Thomas to God, to the funeral home to shop for a casket, and to many of Deirdrea Laux's doctor visits. Throughout her entire pregnancy, Deirdrea felt the baby kicking and growing, and the couple continued to pray for a miracle.
It's hard to read the story and even more heart-wrenching to watch it -- here's a link to the video story of Thomas Laux.
I'd love to know your thoughts -- about the couple's choice, the video, the risks of pregnancy ... What is your reaction to this story?
Related posts:
If Amnio Came Back for Trisomy 13, Would You Abort?
Comments (11)
I would have kept my child also.
This broke my heart but made me so thankful for having a healthy baby. I don't know if I could have went through what they went through. They are incredibly strong, brave people!
I would keep the child as well.
I'm 37 years old and 29 weeks pregnant and had an abnormal ultrasound at 13 weeks. They did a CVS and the chromosomes were fine. So they said I had to get the heart checked and to make sure to do it before 24 weeks due to Massachusetts abortion laws. This was a doctor from Mass General advising me to do this. I made sure to make the heart ultrasound appointment AFTER the 24 week timeframe.
Seriously, these doctors act as if the baby I felt kicking in me would be something easy to kill without further thought if something were abnormal.
What I want to know is how the people that do kill babies that aren't perfect live with themselves. Espeically when they can feel movement from the fetus.
I would keep the baby. Medical mistakes are made everyday. Tests results do get switched. Its unfortunate but it does happen. I will take whatever God thinks I can handle.
i don't know if i would be strong enouph to keep the baby and do what these parents did...I am pro life, I could never get an abortion, but this tore me apart watching this! how sad! these are very strong people! so so so sad!
I would have kept it. No matter how brief it was God gave them a gift.
Its amazing how strong two people can be. I'm 21 weeks along, and things like this is something you can't stop thinking about when bringing a new life into the world. this made me ball my eyes out. I had to stop watching as soon as little Thomas stopped breathing. God bless them and their baby boy.
Everyone makes different choices in situations like this. I honestly don't see anything special about it, to be frank.
Such a moving story... I don't think i would choose to terminate either. those 5 days.. this family had even through the turmoil was beautifully touching. I too give thanks to God that i have a healthy baby. I'm 40 and 10 weeks pregnant. I pray that i have an other healthy child but if i don't, I pray for strength, patience and unconditional love. Thomas was a lucky little boy.
I couldnt do it, just reading everything i couldnt plan a funeral for my daughter before she was born, but i couldnt end her life either. I wish them luck with their new baby girl due in January of '10, and the never ending love for Thomas.