Lifestyle

Husband Pens Heart-Wrenching Tribute to His Wife Who Will Give Birth to a Baby Without a Brain

By Margo Gothelf 3 min read

# anencephaly
# baby
# pregnancy

In a now viral Facebook post, Royce Young has detailed the heartbreaking and inspiring journey of his wife’s pregnancy.

During Keri Young’s 19-week ultrasounds, the couple learned that their baby girl, Eva, has anencephaly and would be born without a brain, leaving her to only survive just a few days. However, Keri Young made a courageous decision to carry her baby to full-term anyway, hoping to help others in need.

“Somehow through full body ugly crying, Keri looked up and asked, ‘If I carry her full term, can we donate her organs?’” Royce Young wrote on Facebook. “There I was, crestfallen and heartbroken, but I momentarily got lifted out of the moment and just stood in awe of her. I was a spectator to my own life, watching a superhero find her superpowers.”

He continued, “In literally the worst moment of her life, finding out her baby was going to die, it took her less than a minute to think of someone else and how her selflessness could help. It’s one of the most powerful things I’ve ever experienced.”

Royce Young found inspiration to share his wife’s story after meeting Jarrius, a young boy who needs a liver transplant, while covering the NBA All-Star Weekend for ESPN.

“That kid Jarrius wears a shirt that says ‘It Takes Lives To Save Lives,’” Royce Young wrote on Facebook. “I couldn’t stop thinking about that all day. There’s another family out there hurting and hoping for a miracle for their baby, knowing full well someone else’s baby will need to die first. Eva can be that miracle.”

Royce Young also shared how strong his wife has been on this incredible ride knowing that the end results will be incredibly bittersweet.

“She’s reminded every moment of every day that she’s carrying a baby that will die,” Royce Young wrote on Facebook. “Her back hurts. Her feet are sore. She’s got all the super fun pregnant stuff going on. But the light at the end of her nine-month tunnel will turn into a darkness she’s never felt before a couple hours or days after Eva is born.”

He continued, “She’s the one that is going to deal with all that comes with having a baby — her milk coming in, the recovery process, etc, but with no snuggly, soft, beautiful newborn to look at to remind you that it was all worth it.”

According to the CDC, about 3 in every 10,000 pregnancies in the United States will have anencephaly every year.

Royce Young knows that the struggle is far from over, yet he has hope that his daughter’s story will have a strong impact on others.

“We love seeing the impact our little girl is having,” Royce Young told The Huffington Post. “We won’t get to brag about her grades or how pretty her hair is. This is what we get to tell people about, and we want to take advantage of it.”