Royce Young shared a beautiful picture of his pregnant wife, Keri, taken as she slept last month, and wrote a heartbreaking post to accompany it. The couple will give birth in a few months to a baby girl they have named Eva — who will live only a few days and possibly mere hours, doctors have told them.
They have decided to carry the pregnancy to term, in order to help another baby by donating their child’s organs.
The husband’s Facebook post about his wife has now gone viral, with 56,000 likes and over 20,000 shares as of this writing. Honoring his wife and their child’s brief life has struck a chord with many people.
“The love of the mother to her child, the love of the husband to his wife and the love of the family to their community,” one commenter posted. “Your story touch[ed] my heart and made me cry! Godspeed, [sir]!”
“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.”
After learning about their unborn daughter’s medical condition, one in which the brain does not develop — called anencephaly — Keri Young asked if they could carry the baby to term and donate Eva’s organs to help others.
“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,” Royce wrote in his post. “We’ll go to the hospital for a birth, and go home without a baby.”
Young explained the moment he heard his wife ask if they could donate Eva’s organs.
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“I remember our doctor putting her hand on Keri’s shoulder and saying, ‘Oh honey, that’s so brave of you to say.’ Like, how nice of you, but come on. Keri meant it,” Royce wrote in his post. “There I was, crestfallen and heartbroken, but I momentarily got lifted out of the moment and just stood in awe of her … 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.”
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Married for eight years, Royce and Keri Young live in Oklahoma City with their little boy, Harrison; Royce Young is a writer for ESPN.com. The couple’s intentions are to try to help another family whose baby is sick — even if they don’t know that family.
“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,” Royce added. “Eva can be that miracle.”
Keri Young has written about the bittersweet experience of carrying their daughter, knowing what the future holds. “This was not an easy decision,” she said in an Instagram post. “For the next 20 weeks I will feel her kick, have the hiccups and we’ll be able to hear her perfect heart beating, all while knowing we’ll only get a few short hours with her when she’s born.”
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Royce Young shared his love for his courageous wife — a mother facing the future with a heart yearning to help others.
“I’m looking at Keri right now and I don’t even have to ask. She’s TOUGH. She’s BRAVE. She’s incredible. She’s remarkable,” Royce Young wrote. “She’s cut from a different cloth, combining wit, beauty, courage, silliness, character and integrity into one spectacular woman. And somehow, she’s my wife.”
Keri Young posted to her own Facebook page, “I guess we want Eva to save lives, but the point is she’s already touched so many lives than she’ll save. And that’s pretty incredible.”
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