Mother Decides to Give Birth to Terminally-ill Baby to Donate Organs

A woman from Oklahoma city is choosing to carry her terminally-ill baby to full term to donate her organs to babies who will need it.

Keri Young and her husband Royce found out through ultrasound results that their unborn child, Eva, has no brain.

Anencephaly is a birth defect in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cause and cure for this particular defect are still unknown. The organization estimates that about 1,206 cases are noted each year in the U.S. Most of the babies suffering from this condition have a short life expectancy.

In a Facebook post, Royce narrated how they came up with the decision to donate the organs of Eva.

I thought back to the moment where we found out Eva wasn't perfect, and how literally 30 seconds after our doctor told us our baby doesn't have a brain, somehow through full body ugly crying, Keri looked up and asked, "If I carry her full term, can we donate her organs?" I remember our doctor putting her hand on Keri's shoulder and saying, "Oh honey, that's so brave of you to say.

CBS News reported that 24 hours after learning about their daughter's condition, the couple went to LifeShare of Oklahoma and a doctor at Baptist Medical Center where they learned that Eva's kidneys, heart valves, liver and pancreas are qualified for donation.

New York Post noted that Eva's organs can save up to 50 lives in as little as 24 hours. Eva is expected to be born on May 7.

"We're getting closer to the finish line, and while it's going to be amazing to run through that tape and meet Eva, it comes at a cost. We'll go to the hospital for a birth, and go home without a baby," read Royce's emotional tribute on Facebook.