Life Lynn DeKlyen, who was born at 24 weeks on Sept. 6, died overnight, her family said Thursday.
The infant born to a Michigan mother, who died after refusing brain cancer treatment so her baby could live, has also died, loved ones said.
Life Lynn DeKlyen, who was born at 24 weeks on Sept. 6, died overnight, her family said Thursday.
“It is with great sadness and a(n) absolutely broken heart that I tell you Life Lynn passed away last night,” the family wrote on Facebook. “Carrie is now rocking her baby girl."
Life Lynn’s mother, Carrie DeKlyen, passed away on Sept. 9.
She had been in a coma since July after being diagnosed in April with glioblastoma, a rapidly growing tumor that can affect the brain and spinal cord.
Read: Mom Who Refused Cancer Treatment Due to Pregnancy Dies Just 3 Days After Giving Birth
DeKleyn reportedly qualified to be in a University of Michigan clinical trial for her cancer that doctors said might have extended her life another 10 to 20 years. However, she and her husband declined because they are Christians and wanted to give their sixth child a chance to live.
"We’re pro-life,” Nick DeKlyen, Carrie’s husband, told the Detroit Free Press. "Under no circumstance do we believe you should take a child's life. She sacrificed her life for the child.”
Life Lynn was born at 1 pound and 4 ounces. She was expected to remain in the intensive care unit for at least four months.
But the infant was not gaining weight as quickly as she should and on Sept. 18, doctors reportedly discovered a “small brain bleed” sometimes found in 24-week babies.
“I have no explanation of why this happened, but I do know Jesus loves us and someday we will know why,” the family wrote on Facebook in their announcement of Life Lynn’s passing. “The grief we feel is almost unbearable, please be praying for our family. Psalms 73:26, My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
The family has created a GoFundMe page that by Thursday had raised nearly $158,000.
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