Carrie DeKlyen's family are praying against all odds for a miracle. After going to the hospital with complaints of a headache earlier this year, the 37-year-old mother-of-five was given the devastating news that she had a terminal brain tumor.
Carrie was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same type of brain tumor that John McCain is receiving treatment for.
When she received the heartbreaking diagnosis in early April, Carrie wrote a powerful Facebook update in which she declared her faith in Jesus for healing.
Treatment via chemotherapy was possible but then doctors broke the even more difficult news: she found out she was pregnant and any chemo would require her to terminate the pregnancy.
This was not something Carrie and husband Nick, 39, considered so they delayed the chemotherapy in order to carry their sixth baby full term.
She has had two surgeries to remove the tumor but now, adding to the devout Christian family's heartache, she has suffered a massive stroke and lies in a 'vegetative state' in the ICU at the University of Michigan. It's the worst possible news for the family in their fight for Carrie and her baby.
Carrie is at 21 weeks but doctors are desperate for her to reach 28 weeks in order to deliver her baby. At the same time as Nick is preparing to become a father for the sixth time, he is also preparing to let Carrie go.
'She's going to miss us, but she knows this life is so quick and we'll see each other again in Heaven,' he told People.com. 'Knowing that gives her hope and, I know it's crazy, but I support her decision.'
In the face of so many struggles, the whole family are leaning on their faith as is evident from their Facebook updates and many of their Christian friends are supporting them by providing meals and signing up to a round-the-clock schedule of prayer and fasting.
A GoFundMe page - donate here - has also been set up to ease the financial strain on the family due to the medical costs and loss of income as Nick takes time away from his vending business to be by his wife's side. The goal is to raise $35,000 and so far, over $23,000 had already been raised.
