OKLAHOMA CITY — Even after learning that her daughter will be born without part of her brain due to a terminal condition, an Oklahoma mother has decided to give birth to the child in order to donate the baby's organs.
Keri Young and her husband, Royce, have been sharing their story on social media.
The couple's daughter, Eva, has a condition called anencephaly. She is due in May but is only expected to survive for a few days.
The couple learned the devastating news during an ultrasound when Keri Young was in her 20th week of pregnancy. Keri Young decided to continue carrying the baby in hopes that the child's organs will someday save another child's life.
In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Royce Young explained how his wife was able to make the difficult decision.
"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(s) she's got inside that little body of hers (are) what really matters. Keri saw that almost instantly," he wrote.
"In literally the worst moment of her life, finding out her baby was going to die, it took her less than a minute to think of someone else and how her selflessness could help. It's one of the most powerful things I've ever experienced."
Keri Young has been open about their decision as well.
"We learned (that) her whole heart would not be eligible for transplant, and that was disappointing," she wrote in December. "But then we learned her heart valves would be eligible, along with her kidneys and liver and maybe (her) pancreas. We could also donate her lungs to research. We'd get the opportunity to meet her recipients if they wanted to meet us."
She said that Eva could save as many as 50 lives in just 24 hours.
"This is not over for us," she wrote. "We'll almost assuredly have doubts on if we're actually doing the right thing. Or if we can even handle this. May 7th is far away. Please continue to think (of) and pray for us."
The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.