Healthy boy born to brain dead Canadian woman

Six weeks after they declared his mother brain dead, Canadian doctors delivered Iver Cohen Benson on Saturday, pronouncing the 28-week preemie healthy and strong. The birth is a medical rarity but proves babies can survive in the womb even if their mothers have to be kept alive on life support.

Shortly after his son’s birth, 33-year-old Dylan Benson held the baby to his chest in the Victoria, B.C., hospital’s NICU, where he is expected to have a lengthy stay. The next day, Benson said goodbye to his wife Robyn, 32, who died after doctors disconnected the machines working her heart and lungs. Benson fought to keep his wife’s body alive to allow their baby time to grow and have a chance to live. Iver was at 22 weeks gestation when Robyn suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.

Benson’s situation contrasts sharply with that of Texas firefighter Erick Munoz, who filed a lawsuit last month to have his wife, also pregnant and declared brain dead, removed from life support. Marlise Munoz was 14 weeks pregnant with the couple’s second child when she collapsed in November. Munoz said his wife would not have wanted to be on life support and asked to have it removed. But doctors at Fort Worth’s John Peter Smith Hospital said Texas law prevented them from removing life-sustaining care because Marlise was pregnant. On Jan. 24, a judge ruled in Munoz’s favor. Marlise and her then 22-week-old, pre-born baby, whom Munoz named Nicole, died after doctors disconnected life support on Jan. 26, just two weeks before Iver’s successful entrance into the world.

Pro-life advocates, some of whom held a vigil for baby Nicole during the court process, point to the similarities in the cases. But Dr. Joe McIlhaney, founder of The Medical Institute for Sexual Health, said Iver had a better chance of surviving than Nicole, although both babies had the potential to be kept alive until viable outside the womb. Because cases like this are so rare, McIlhaney said he knows of no statistical studies on the subject. But, the earlier the gestation at which a pregnant mother is declared brain dead, the greater the health risks for the baby.

“If the mother is brain dead when 13 weeks pregnant, the baby has a much greater chance of a catastrophic deprivation of oxygen or food than if the event happened when the pregnancy is 22 weeks along,” McIlhaney said. “The baby would be more susceptible to damage … though both would of course be susceptible to damage. Keeping the mother ‘alive’ that long allows more time for ‘mistakes’ being made in the complicated job of keeping her ‘alive.’”

Support for Benson has poured in from around the world, with people so far contributing $188,000 to help offset the cost of Iver’s care. Benson quit his job to spend as much time as possible with Iver in the hospital. He’s also blogged about the journey on his website, which includes comments from well-wishers in the United States, Canada, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

One cab driver was so moved, he brought Benson a homemade lasagna. In addition to financial and material help, supporters have offered advice about preemie care, how to create toys with pictures of Robyn, and where to get breast milk. But the best support likely came from their encouragement: take care of yourself; give yourself permission to grieve in the midst of your joy; you are not alone; we are proud of you; and we are praying for you.