At a routine 10 week ultrasound, Ida Raymond was told something could be wrong with her baby. She and her husband, who also have a one year old son, were sent immediately to a different hospital for further testing. But according to Right to Life Michigan, which shares the story on their website, the doctors there only delivered heartbreaking news.
Ida and her husband Andy were told that their daughter had severe deformities. The doctors told them point blank that they should do what was smart and responsible – abort their baby. Andy told RTL Michigan:
They told us it looked like her intestines were outside of her body, her spine had a hole in it, there were cysts around her brain and her brain was surrounded by fluid. They said her heart would not make it, her legs would never work and she might have Down syndrome.
They were devastated by the news and angry at the way the doctors had given them the diagnosis. Andy and Ida left that hospital never to return again. During a future visit with their regular obstetrician, it was discovered that the baby was actually developing quite normally. In fact, ultrasounds showed that baby Adeline’s intestines were not outside her body, there weren’t any cysts around her brain, and her legs were fine. While they thought Adeline could have Down syndrome, she was otherwise growing properly and was healthy.
Relieved, Andy and Ida spent the day of Adeline’s birth in eager anticipation and joy. She was born without a single health condition and even scored a 9 out of 10 on her Apgar tests. Ida told RTL Michigan that she worries about other parents receiving such a diagnosis who don’t have strong pro-life views or support from friends and family. She says:
I just want people to know there is hope. Miracles happen every day.
While Adeline would have been loved no matter what the outlook was for her health, Andy and Ida don’t know if God stepped in and healed their daughter or if those first scans or the doctors were completely wrong. But they do know that doctors shouldn’t give such dark and hopeless news to expectant parents. They even wrote a letter to the doctors who had given them Adeline’s misdiagnosis, updating them on Adeline and asking that they change the way they speak to their patients, talking in a more life-affirming approach. It will allow parents to hold onto hope and to seek out further testing and more accurate information, rather than panicking and aborting their child.
Today Adeline is a healthy three year old, and her parents share her story in hopes of helping other families facing a similar situation to choose life.
