If you are a parent-to-be and the doctor told you that you have to terminate your pregnancy to save your life, what will you do?
For Liz Joice, she chose life. Her baby’s life!
Five years ago, Liz Joice was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called sarcomas. After seeking treatment, she was free from cancer, but doctor said that she would not be able to conceive. But Liz beats the odds and she became pregnant. No doubt, she was ecstatic!
Once they got thought her first trimester safely, she was eager to share the good news with her close ones. But reality was harsh on Liz. On the very next day, she received a devastating news, the tumor in her spine had returned.
Doctor needed to run a full MRI but that would mean that Liz had to terminate the pregnancy. She refused.
“There’s never going to be anything in my life that I’m going to do that is more amazing than this. If we terminate the pregnancy and it turns out I can’t have a baby, I’ll be devastated,” Joice said.
Liz underwent surgery on the tumour in her spine and continued her pregnancy. She delivered to baby Lisa via caesarean at 34 weeks, 6 weeks ahead of her due date. After Lisa was born, Liz found out that the tumors has spread throughout her body – in her abdomen, lungs and heart.
Liz died just seven weeks after baby Lisa was born.
“Having a kid was one of the most important things in the world to her,” her husband, Max, told The Post, shortly after his wife’s death.
Although Liz has passed on, it almost feel like she is still around for baby Lisa. She can still hear and see her mum through an edited iPad app, especially customized by Christopher Henze.
Liz and husband Max Joice have starred in 40 Weeks, a documentary, that tells the story of 12 pregnant women. The director, Christopher Henze has used some of the 60 hours of footage he has, to create educational aids for Lily, who is a toddler now.
Through the app, Lily can see how her mum looks like and how she sounded. The app comprises of snippets of Liz, together with the popular cartoon characters that teaches Lily about numbers and shapes. When she is older, she will get to see a specially recorded video of what Liz would like to say to her.
“Regardless of whatever happens to me, going through this to bring you here is always going to be worth it, no question. I don’t want that to be hard on you..
I just want you to know how important you are . . . and try to be like me and not have anger. You know you can be sad at things and you can be disappointed in things, but you’ve got to let anger go. It’s just one of the least productive emotions a person can ever have. It ruins you and nobody else but you.
Some people’s stories just don’t make any sense. That’s why I stopped trying to figure it out. You know, it is what it is, you just have to make the best out of it,” Liz said (as documented in New York Post)
By Crystal Tan | Source: The NY Post
