Science/Tech

Mom To Give Birth To Baby With No Brain Will Donate Organs

By Anne Collins | Update Date: Feb 25, 2017 09:32 AM EST

A mother in Oklahoma will give birth to a terminally ill daughter so another child can have a chance in life. When Keri Young found out her unborn child didn't have a brain, she made the decision to carry Eva to term to donate the organs to other babies in need. Royce Young, Keri's husband who writes about basketball for ESPN shared and praised his wife's brave decision.

The couple has been married for 8 years. They found out Eva didn't have a brain during the 19-week ultrasound.

Eva would be born without a portion of her brain and skull. Doctors said it was due to a condition known as anencephaly. It is the absence of a major portion of the skull, brain, and scalp that occurs during the development of the embryo. It is very rare that it affects three in every 10,000 pregnancies in the United States according to The Sun.

"Donating was on Keri's mind from darn near the second we found out and while the experience of holding and kissing our daughter will be something we cherish forever, the gift she's got inside that little body of hers is what really matters. Keri saw that almost instantly," Royce wrote in a Facebook post on February 17 which has since been shared thousands of times.

According to WGNO, aside from their decision to donate Eva's organs the couple also realized Eva is alive and deserved to meet them before she becomes a part of another child. The couple will likely only spend a few days with the baby that is due on May 7 before she dies.

Royce and Keri also have a 2-year-old son named Harrison. They learned that by donating Eva's organs they can save up to 50 lives in as little as 24 hours.

 "I want to change it all so, so badly. But I can't. This is our reality. And there's no stopping it," Royce said in his Facebook post.

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