Baby With Down's Syndrome And Inoperable Brain Tumour Is Honoured In Heartbreaking Family Photos

Heartbreaking Photos Honouring Newborn With Down's Syndrome And Inoperable Brain Tumour

After being hit with the news their baby daughter has inoperable brain cancer and Down's syndrome, a mum and dad decided to document their precious family moments heartwarming photographs.

Erika and Stephen Jones, from Florida, found out at their 30-week scan their daughter Abigail has a cancerous mass on her brain. She was delivered by caesarean on 6 August - a week before her due date.

After she was born, an MRI scan confirmed her cancer had become aggressive and both chemotherapy and surgery were ruled out.

Mary Huszcza from 8.08 Photography did the photoshoots of the family, including their other daughter Audrey, two.

Huszcza told HuffPost UK Parents: "When someone sees these photos I want them to see the beauty and hope that abides within grief and sadness. I don't want people to see these images and say 'what a sad situation'.

"I want them to see how beautiful Abigail is and that, despite the unimaginable pain her family is feeling, their faith in her purpose is strong."

Writing on a blog on the 8.08 Photography website, the parents wrote: "Abigail is our perfect, wonderful little girl. At our 18-week ultrasound, we were told that Abigail showed multiple markers for Down's syndrome and then the follow-up blood test was also positive.

"Initially, we were shocked and scared, mourning the loss of a “normal” baby. But God quickly worked on our hearts and His peace surpassed our fear. We were soon excited and honored to have a child with special needs."

The couple went on to say the moment they discovered she had a tumour at their 30-week scan.

They wrote: "Our hearts were broken and our minds weighted with questions and fear of the unknown to come.

"Additional ultrasounds over the following weeks showed significant growth and our appointments with neurosurgery and other specialists determined that the prognosis was bleak."

Abigail's head grew to a size that made a vaginal birth to risky and a C-section was scheduled. They were told treatment with chemo would likely kill a baby this young.

They added: "The neurosurgeon recommended that we take Abigail home and cover her with love. So we did and pediatric hospice will help us navigate the journey to come.

"We have smothered this little one with love and kisses and will continue to do so every moment we get. This situation is tragic and unbelievably difficult."

Huszcza said she read about Abigail's birth on the Facebook page of a local charity organization.

She told us: "As a pediatric occupational therapist I've had the opportunity to work with and photograph many children with special needs, but this is the 1st time I've photographed a child with a prognosis like Abigail's.

"The tears were there, but I managed to hold them back because I didn't want to add my sadness to the environment. The only emotions that I wanted to be seen in these photos was the emotion of the parent.

"Stephen and Erika were talking to Abigail, praying over her, and loving her so deeply it was impossible to not be affected by the moment.

"People want to see stories like this because it reminds us all, that despite the pain and violence and ugliness so present in society today, there truly are pockets of utter beauty."

Beautiful Photographs Documenting Baby With Down's Syndrome And Inoperable Tumour

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