Mother who chose unborn baby over chemo passes away, hailed a hero

(Photo: Acelya Aksunkur)

A Chinese television host passed away last week after being diagnosed with cancer in March.

Qiu Yuanyuan, 26, delayed cancer treatment to protect her unborn child, who was delivered via Caesarean-section in September.

Qiu passed away 100 days after giving birth to her son, and is being heralded for her courage and sacrifice.

"After getting married, becoming a mother was her biggest wish," Qiu's husband, Zhang Qixuan, told the Zhengzhou Evening News.

"She chose to save our child; she understood that not everything in life can be perfect. And she said she had never regretted her decision."

Qiu was diagnosed with late-stage uterine cancer which metastasized as she put off chemotherapy. Her health deteriorated by September, and her son was delivered two months early. The boy, named Niannian, weighed only 3.3 pounds.

After the delivery, Qiu underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and endured 20 days of chemotherapy, but it was too late. Doctors advised her to end the grueling treatment, and spend time with her baby at home.

The family held a traditional Chinese feast in celebration of Niannian turning 100 days old, and Qiu passed away that evening.

"Yuanyuan has passed away; the only thing I can do now is to take care our child and her family," her husband said.

"I hope everyone can silently bless her and our child, and smile at life – just as Yuanyuan did."

In November, a Colorado woman passed away after experiencing a rare amniotic fluid embolism during labor.

Karisa Bugal, 34, chose to be put under anesthesia and undergo a Caesarean-section to save her son's life. Doctors at the Medical Center of Aurora called baby Declan a seven-pound, four-ounce-miracle.

"Her other option would have been to stay awake for her surgery, but by the time we would have put in a spinal tap or something it's possible Declan would not have made it," Dr. Kelly Gerow explained.

Amniotic fluid embolism occurs in approximately one in 80,000 births.