The family of Adriana Smith, the Atlanta nurse who carried a pregnancy while brain dead earlier this year, has shared a devastating update on her newborn son.
Smith, 30, collapsed from a catastrophic stroke in February while just eight weeks pregnant with her second child. Despite her family’s pleas, she was kept on life support for months so doctors could attempt to save her baby. In June, her son, Chance, was delivered via emergency C-section.
Now nearly two months old, Chance continues to fight for his life in the neonatal intensive care unit. He was born weighing only 1 pound, 13 ounces and has since grown to nearly five pounds.
“His weight is gradually picking up, but the breathing is what we’re concerned with,” Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, told 11Alive reporters. “He’s making a little bit of progress, but still some things to do.”
Doctors have indicated that Chance may be strong enough to leave the hospital by September or October, though his fragile condition remains a constant worry for the family. Smith’s older son, seven-year-old Chase, is also grappling with the loss of his mother while watching his baby brother endure a long recovery.
“It’s not getting any better, day by day,” Newkirk admitted, describing the grief that has shadowed the family since Smith’s death.
Smith’s story quickly became a flashpoint in the national debate over abortion rights. Her family has argued that Georgia’s restrictive abortion law, known as the LIFE Act, prevented doctors from removing her from life support. The law bans most abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detected, often around six weeks of pregnancy.
State officials, however, have rejected claims that the law compelled doctors to keep Smith alive after she was declared brain dead. In May, Attorney General Chris Carr’s office issued a statement (via The Independent) saying: “There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death.”
For Newkirk, the legal arguments bring little comfort. She has vowed to fight against Georgia’s abortion restrictions, saying her daughter’s ordeal should never be repeated.
“I want them to know that this didn’t have to happen,” she said. “Women have rights. It’s their body.”
As the Smith family waits anxiously for baby Chance’s next steps, they are balancing hope with heartbreak, grieving a daughter and mother lost too soon while fighting to keep her legacy alive through her child.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family, which is currently at $500k of its $540k goal.