"Who will live: the baby or me?"
This was the question on the mind of a pregnant woman from New York when she was diagnosed by her doctors as having Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, LifeSite News reports.
Her doctors said she had to abort the baby so she could undergo chemotherapy as part of her anti-cancer treatment. But Kim Vaillancourt would have none of it. She rejected her doctors' advice since she wants to save the baby, even at the cost of her life.
"I've got to give baby a chance," the devoted mother of six to radio station WGRZ.
Her prayers were answered as she gave birth to a boy she named Wyatt Eli on Friday. At 4 pounds, 7 ounces, the child was born one month premature. Wyatt Eli's name means, "Brave little warrior, sent by God," according to LifeSite News.
Kim's husband Phil said what really happened is that his wife and their "miracle baby" both saved each other's life. This is because Kim would not have gone to the doctor for headaches except for the fact that she was pregnant, Phil said, adding that it was only during her visit to the doctor that her cancer was discovered.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute Neuro-Oncologist Dr. Ajay Abad agreed that baby Wyatt Eli did save his mother's life. The doctor said when Kim arrived at the hospital for a checkup, they found that her brain tumours—one on the right frontal lobe, the other on the base of the brain—were growing so aggressively that she had weeks, if not just days, to live.
"We definitely feel that God put that baby in her for a reason... to save her life," Phil said. "If it wasn't for the baby, she probably would've never gone to the hospital."
Kim is expected to undergo chemo and radiation treatment soon. Even if her doctors succeed in removing the tumours, her diagnosis remains grave, according to brain cancer specialists. Glioblastoma always grows back, and will eventually claim her life, they said.
The life expectancy for a person with Kim's level of Glioblastoma, "Grade 4," which is the highest and most serious degree of the cancer, is just over a year.
But the Vaillancourt family believe in miracles springing from God's mercy. The couple said they are maintaining their faith and trust in God no matter what happens even as they continue to pray.
Kim told radio station WGRZ that aside from asking God to give her some more time to spend with her family, she also prays for her children to remember her for her love. "Just that I love them. That's it," she said. "I'd do anything for them. Any single one of them."
