An Oklahoma mother, Stacie Crimm, was overjoyed to be pregnant with a child, but during her pregnancy, she was diagnosed with neck and head cancer. Instead of having an abortion or taking medication harmful to her baby, she rejected chemotherapy treatment in order to save her child, instead of herself.
She sent 159 text messages about her pregnancy to her brother in the months that followed. Many were joyful but then the bone-chilling messages came in during the predawn hours. She said severe headaches and double vision tortured her while tremors wracked her entire body.
“I'm worried about this baby,” she texted.
“I hope I live long enough to have this baby,” said another message. “Bubba, if anything happens to me, you take this child.”At her family's encouragement, she visited a number of doctors. In July, a CT scan revealed that she had head and neck cancer.
Now she had to choose between her life and her baby's life. Phillips said she agonized only for a while before deciding against taking potentially lifesaving chemotherapy in hopes that she would soon hold a healthy baby in her arms.
Quite often, we hear the argument that abortion should be available if a mother's life is jeapordy. This woman laid down her life in a selfless act for her child, showcasing the precious gift of life women have to give, rather than take away.
Stacie Crimm, of Ryan, OK, refused chemotherapy for her aggressive brain tumor for fear it would hurt her unborn child. Doctors had to deliver 2-pound Dottie prematurely.
Stacy Crimm died three days after giving birth.
Last week, Ray Phillips fulfilled his last promise to his sister. Healthy, 5-pound Dottie went home to live with Ray and Jennifer Phillips and her four new siblings.