Mary, Did You Know?

One of the popular Christmas songs being played in the radio nowadays is the song “Mary, Did You Know” which was penned by Mark Lowry in 1984. Here’s the first part of it:

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you.

It is indeed a beautiful song. But I would like to use that title which is a question, to re-tell a story of a patient that we took care of, more than a decade ago. Her story is nothing short of a miracle.

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Everybody said that her pregnancy was ill-conceived and ill-advised. But who are we to judge her?

Maria (not her real name) lies in our ICU. Her 21-year-old body is frail and debilitated, her skin is pale and sallow, and her breathing is irregular and shallow. Attached to her sick body are a number of tubes, catheters and monitors. The regular bleep and tracings in the monitor screen above her bed tells me that she is still alive, although she looks otherwise.

Maria was born with cystic fibrosis. This is an inherited disease caused by a defective gene that causes thick mucus plugging of small tubes and ducts, mostly affecting the lungs and the digestive system. Patients suffer with frequent lung infections, digestive problems, and usually succumb with respiratory failure or liver failure. The disease is fatal that many patients will die in their childhood and adolescence. However, in the past couple of decades, with the improvement of care, patients made it through adulthood and in fact with recent advances, life expectancy of people with cystic fibrosis who are born between 2018 and 2022, according to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, is predicted to be 56 years .

Maria’s childhood was anything but normal. She was in the hospital or doctor’s office so often more than she was in school. She was on medications constantly. She had known more doctors than childhood friends. She experienced more than her share of suffering and disease. But she had beaten the odds. The fact that she made it through 21 summers tells me that she is a fierce survivor.

But now, this pregnancy. Her family doesn’t want her to have this. Her doctors told her that her body may not be able to tolerate the additional stress of child-bearing and that it will be an extremely high risk pregnancy if it will continue. But she made up her mind that she will keep this child, and bring forth this life growing inside her to this world, whatever the cost. Even if it cost hers.

Due to developing problems and complications, she was admitted to the hospital’s maternity ward on her 32nd weeks of conception, where she was expected to stay for the rest of the pregnancy (full term is 37-40 weeks). However, after a few days in the hospital her condition deteriorated quickly. Her liver function worsened and she went into fulminant hepatic failure. Mary slipped into coma. She was then transferred to our ICU.

Because her baby may further get compromised, we had no choice but to deliver the baby, even if it was only 32 weeks old. Maria underwent an emergency caesarean section.

Now, 3 days after delivering her baby, Maria still remains in our ICU and in coma. As I stand beside her bed to examine her, I see the pictures of her newborn baby posted on the wall of her room.  Being a parent, I cannot help but feel a twinge of sadness.

Maria, did you know that you brought forth a beautiful baby boy, albeit premature but otherwise healthy? Maria, did you that your baby boy is now waiting and crying for you at the nursery? Maria, did you know that your baby boy has a sweet smile and wanting to meet his mother who gave birth to him? Maria, did you know that your baby boy is longing for your embrace, the boy that you fought for so dearly to bring to this world, even if it meant going against medical advice?

I just hope that someday this precious boy would be grateful and be proud of his mother he may never know. And may he appreciate and realize the challenges, the difficulty, the sacrifices her mother went into, to give him the gift of life. Yes, even in exchange of her life.

But wait. This is Christmas season. Time of miracles. Maybe there will be one here tonight.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb!

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Post script:

Maria, after a week in coma woke up just before Christmas eve. She was reunited with her baby and finally was able to cradle him. Both Maria and baby were discharged home several weeks later. Though we took care of Maria many more times when she got hospitalized. She finally succumbed to her illness 3 years after giving birth to her baby boy.

(*photo taken from the web)