Carrie Deklyen, Michigan Mother Who Denied Chemotherapy To Have Baby, Dies

A Michigan mother, who chose to forgo her cancer treatments including chemotherapy, that would have given her the chance to prolong her life to give birth to her sixth child, died Saturday, three days after giving birth, her husband confirmed to ABC News.

DeKlyen delivered a baby girl, named Life Lynn DeKlyen on Wednesday and the doctors had removed her feeding and breathing tubes Thursday.

Nick DeKlyen, her husband told the Associated Press that his wife Carrie died surrounded by her loved ones and family at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor on Saturday. He said his last words to his wife before she died were, "I'll see you in Heaven."

"We stayed by her until she took her last breath," Nick said. "It's in God's hands now."

Carrie chose to forgo her treatment as it would have meant ending her pregnancy. Carrie, 37, had received her diagnosis of an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme, in April. Just two weeks after her diagnosis, she learned that she was pregnant with her sixth child, according to ABC News.

"We’re just a normal family," sister-in-law Sonya Nelson told local media in August. "We’re living our lives, you know, children, working. And you feel like your world just crumbles before your eyes.

"It was Carrie and Nick's decision and they chose to continue with trying to have the baby. Everybody who knows Carrie loves her."

Her daughter, Life was born prematurely, at 24 weeks and five days into the pregnancy and weighed 1 pound, four ounces (567 grams). Nick said his daughter has been doing better than expected in neonatal intensive care, gaining weight and "almost breathing on her own."

"She's going to be fine," he said. "She's going to be here for 4 or 5 months, but we expect her to be a healthy baby. The doctor just said the timing (of the birth) couldn't have been more perfect."

After Carrie's diagnosis and the news of her pregnancy, doctors had confirmed to the couple that their baby was in good health and since then they have been supported by her family and they also started Facebook page named "Cure 4 Carrie" to document their experience and provide updates about her and her pregnancy.

"We have an amazing family," Nelson had said in August. "I don't know how families that do not have the support that we have to get through a trial like this."

The family posted on the Facebook page Saturday, a reference to a Bible verse, John 15:13, which reads: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

The couple resides in the western Michigan city of Wyoming and has five other kids. Nick said the family is strong in its Christian faith.

"My wife loves the Lord and she loves her children more than anything," he said Friday to Miami Herald.

"It's painful," he added. "But this is what she wanted. She wanted to protect this child."

The family created a Gofundme page to ask for donations to offset expenses. So far, the page has raised more than $100,000 for their $125,000 goal.