Mom with terminal cancer chooses her baby's life over her own

After Carrie DeKlyen was diagnosed with terminal cancer, doctors gave her two options: chemotherapy or a clinical trial, according to the Detroit Free Press.

But she was pregnant, and both options would have terminated the pregnancy. So the 37-year-old decided to sacrifice her life for her baby, the Free Press reported.

DeKlyen delivered the baby girl, named Life, Wednesday evening and on Thursday, doctors removed her feeding and breathing tubes, according The Associated Press.

She was surrounded by family, including her husband, Nick, when she passed away Saturday.

"She chose to have the baby. That’s what she wanted, and I supported her," he told the Free Press. "She had the baby, and now it's time to go home. She's going to heaven. She's going to be healed."

Life Lynn was born at 24 weeks and five days into the pregnancy, the AP reported, and weighed 1 pound, four ounces. Nick said she’s doing well in neonatal intensive care.

"She's going to be fine," he told AP. "She's going to be here for 4 or 5 months, but we expect her to be a healthy baby ... The doctor just said the timing (of the birth) couldn't have been more perfect."

The Wyoming, Michigan couple have five other children from ages 2 to 18, according to the Free Press. They already decided on the name Life shortly before DeKlyen started facing complications from a malignant tumor in her brain in March.

Doctors told the couple a clinical trial could extend her life for at least 10 to 15 years, but the family, is devoutly Christian and ultimately decided against it, Nick said.

"Me and my wife, we are people of faith," he told the Detroit Free press. "We love the Lord with everything in us. We talked about it, prayed about it.

"I asked her, 'What are you thinking?' She said, 'All the treatments, I'm not doing any of them.' We went back to the surgeon. He said 'If you choose to do this, you will not live another 10 months. I promise, you will die.'

"Even with everything on the table, my wife chose the baby."

The family is asking for donations via Gofundme to offset expenses. So far, the page has raised more than $97,000 for their $125,000 goal.

This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Mom with terminal cancer chooses her baby's life over her own."