THE MOST HEARTWARMING STORY My Ava-Joy will live on in the babies she saves Mum is carrying tot she knows will die
A BRAVE pregnant mum will give the most selfless gift of all this Christmas – her unborn baby’s organs to another dying child.
Hayley Martin knows from her 20-week scan that the child she is carrying, already named Ava-Joy, will die during labour or moments after birth.
But instead of taking the termination offered by doctors to avoid the trauma of still-birth, she and husband Scott have decided to complete the pregnancy.
And it is all so that their tiny daughter’s organs can go to other babies in desperate need of transplants.
In the most remarkable show of festive giving, Hayley, who is likely to be induced in Christmas week, now hopes her unborn child will live on in the babies she saves.
And she has even vowed to donate one of her own kidneys in Ava-Joy’s name as soon as she has recovered from the birth.
Hayley, 30, said: “Our child is going to die no matter what, but if we can try and save somebody else the grief we are going through, it will all be worth it.
“It was not an easy decision but it was the right decision, and it has helped me cope with the heartbreak.
“A part of her will live on, she won’t be completely gone. She will be alive in somebody else.
Rare
“It is her Christmas gift to other poorly babies. And I want to donate my kidney too because Ava will be born without any to donate. I want to give one in her honour.”
The Martins, who already have three children, were thrilled to learn they were expecting another baby earlier this year.
But that happiness soon turned to heartbreak when they discovered the tot would not survive beyond pregnancy.
The couple, from Hull, East Yorks, went to t heir f i ve- month scan expecting to find out the sex of their child, but instead were given a diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder – bilateral renal agenesis.
It is always fatal and means the baby has no kidneys and is not surrounded by enough amniotic fluid, causing malformed lungs.
While many parents would choose to terminate and avoid the trauma of giving birth to a dying child, Hayley decided to continue with the pregnancy and give birth to her daughter purely to be able to donate her viable organs.
She said: “Of course it’s heartbreaking. I see other pregnant mums happily expecting and I feel such sorrow.
“I have all t he symptoms of a healthy pregnancy and I can feel Ava inside me but I know I won’t get to bring her up at the end of it. Even walking past pregnant women on the street or seeing babies in the supermarket can leave me in floods of tears. “But I am determined to create something positive out of this agonising experience. “I also know there will be babies out there who could have a chance of life with Ava’s healthy organs. Why should two babies die if one can be saved?” Ava- Joy has to weigh a minimum of 5.5lbs to become a donor. The couple are not sure exactly what their daughter will be able to donate, but her heart valves, liver cells and pancreas are likely candidates. The couple will then write letters to the recipients to thank them for helping their daughter live on.
Hayley, who already has daughters Kiowa, seven, and Layla, five, and twoyear-old son Oliver, was ecstatic when she found out she was pregnant.
She said: “I remember our first scan picture and we could just see this little baby who looked like it was waving – it was so beautiful.”
But a few months later something didn’t feel right and her stomach didn’t feel big enough.
The Martins found out the devastating news during the 20-week ultrasound scan.
Ava-Joy didn’t have kidneys or a bladder and her l ungs were underdeveloped, meaning she would never be able to breathe. The doctors explained it was a terminal diagnosis and their baby would stop breathing very soon after birth.
Scott, 30, an events first-aider, said: “We went home that night and couldn’t say a word to each other. I felt like I was choking.
“Hayley went upstairs and sank into the bed, just lying there in the dark.
Lose
“The only thing we had bought for Ava-Joy at the time was this white baby blanket. Hayley has slept with it every night since we found out.”
The couple was told termination was an option because they were still before the 24-week cut-off point.
But they knew instantly they wanted to carry on with the pregnancy and started researching organ donation