A Texas woman delivered her baby 2 weeks early so her dying husband could meet and hold the child before he passed.
Meet the Family Whose Baby Came 2 Weeks Early
Mark Aulger was 52 years old when he learned that after eight months of chemotherapy, he was cancer-free. That Christmas, he and his family of six celebrated and looked to the new year with hope, especially when they found out that Diane, Mark’s wife was pregnant with his fifth child. In that moment everything seemed to be looking up and Mark and the rest of the Aulger family believed they were getting a fresh start.
Sadly, on January 3 of the next year, Mark learned that the side effects from the chemotherapy had been detrimental to his lungs, after he rushed to the hospital complaining of difficulty with breathing. His diagnosis: pulmonary fibrosis.
Hopeful that Mark could overcome this health issue after beating cancer, he sought treatment right away.
Diane said, “We thought he could get on steroid treatment and oxygen and live for years,” explaining their initial reaction.
However, after a couple weeks, doctors told the family that the steroid treatment and oxygen could not sustain him—that Mark only had one week to live.
That’s when the doctor brought up a question with Diane.
“When are you going to have this baby?” the doctor said to her.
That’s when she decided nearly on the spot that she would deliver the baby early so Mark and his youngest baby girl could spend some time together.
On January 18, just 15 days after Mark went to the hospital with difficulty breathing, doctors induced labor and she had the baby 2 weeks early, in the same hospital room with her dying husband.
They named her Savannah, and Mark was able to hold his baby.
“The day she was born his oxygen levels were really high,” Diane said of her dying husband. “He held her for 45 minutes. Him and I just cried the whole time.”
Watch the touching story here:
Mark cherished the time with his daughter, reportedly wanting to show her as much love as he could…