New York mother sacrifices her life for her unborn child

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:56 pm by Deacon Greg Kandra

New York mother sacrifices her life for her unborn child 2016-09-30T15:56:55-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

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From The New York Post:

A New York City mom made the ultimate sacrifice — giving up her own life so her baby girl could live.

Doctors told cancer patient Elizabeth Joice that she would never get pregnant, so when she did last year, it was something of a miracle.

But joy quickly turned to heartbreak for Elizabeth and her husband, Max, when doctors presented her with an impossible challenge: terminate the pregnancy and begin treatment — or put her life in danger.

It didn’t take Elizabeth long to reach her decision.

“Having a kid was one of the most important things in the world to her,” Max told The Post. “She said, ‘If we terminate the pregnancy and it turns out I can’t have a baby [later], I’ll be devastated.’ She knew this might be her only chance.”

Elizabeth and Max were together for two years in September 2010, when an MRI showed that what doctors thought was a herniated disc was actually a tumor.

“The day the doctors called us with the results is also the day I proposed to her,” Max said. “She said, ‘If it’s terminal, I’m not even going to fight. Let’s travel the world until I keel over.’ ”

Max made a beeline for the kitchen and returned with an engagement ring made of tin foil.

“I said, ‘You don’t have the option not to fight’ and proposed to her then,” Max said. “We got married a month later.”

Elizabeth, 36, described as fiercely independent and optimistic, endured four rounds of chemotherapy, a surgery and even more chemo to make sure the tumor was eradicated.

She was declared cancer-free for three years but still longed to have a baby, even though doctors told her it was impossible.

Undeterred, the couple moved from the Upper East Side to Roosevelt Island in June 2013 to prepare to raise a family. Within a few days, Liz discovered she was pregnant. “I totally blew a gasket,” Max said. “They said there was no chance this was happening — and here it was happening.”

But only a month later, they received the devastating news: The tumor was back.

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