Even though their baby has been diagnosed with anencephaly, a condition that is usually fatal, former National Football League (NFL) player Evan Rodriguez and his wife Olivia are refusing to abort their baby girl, already named Layla Sky.
"It's because I always zone out and look at the sky and wonder what else is out there," Evan told ABC Action News about his choice of their baby's name.
Evan, who used to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said he has always prayed to God to help him make the right decisions in life, and he feels that his wife giving birth to Layla Sky this December despite whatever birth defects she might suffer from is the right thing to do.
Around 95 percent of babies who are diagnosed with anencephaly in utero are aborted since they are born missing part of their brain and skull, and they only live for a couple of hours.
But despite this dire prognosis, Olivia is pushing through with her pregnancy with the support of her husband.
"From that moment on, I'm like, what can we do? He was like, either terminate it or move forward with the process," Evan said about his conversation with their doctors.
The couple strongly believes that every child deserves a shot in life, and that is why they refuse to get an abortion, even if that's what other couples who are suffering from the same or similar trial are doing.
"We decided to continue with the process because we felt like, who are we to determine a baby's life. So, we are going to leave it in God's hands," Evan said.
For now, Evan and Olivia are helping raise awareness for anencephaly. They even created a Facebook page called "The fight for Layla Sky" to teach women how to reduce the risk of birth defects.
"It felt like it was our job to let other people know about this," Evan said, adding that they are hopeful that they will see their daughter again someday.
