Baby of Mother Who Chose Giving Birth Over Cancer Treatment Passes Away

Michigan mother Carrie DeKlyen was surrounded by loved ones when she passed away on September 9, three days after giving birth to her sixth child, Life Lynn. The 37-year-old chose to give birth rather than treat her brain cancer, and now, less than two weeks after her passing, her baby daughter has also passed away.

Life Lynn Deklyen, who had been born prematurely at 24 weeks and 5 days, passed away on Wednesday, at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.

The news was shared on the Deklyen’s Facebook page, Cure 4 Carrie.

Life’s aunt, Sonya Nelson, told The Associated Press  the premature baby had been doing well, but things suddenly “took a turn for the worse.”

“We don’t have any answers,” she said. “Maybe Carrie needed her. It is comforting for us to know that she went home to be with Carrie.”

In April, DeKlyen was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-growing cancer that forms on the supportive tissue of the brain. It’s the same type of cancer Senator John McCain was diagnosed with in July. According to physicians at Weill Cornell Medicine, glioblastoma is a terminal illness with a survival time of 16 months post-diagnosis.

She had declined to take part in a clinical trial or undergo treatment for her cancer because she knew she would lose her baby. Life was born on September 6, weighing 1 pound, 4 ounces.

Just three days after giving birth to Life, Carrie passed away.

The DeKlyen family shared an update on Facebook yesterday, letting supporters know Life would be buried with her mother.

Hospital officials shared in a statement: “Our team is saddened by the losses of Carrie and Life, and we hope their friends and family can find comfort and peace from their memories.”

All photos courtesy of Facebook