On January 24, 2016, Tru Wende Beare was born 14 weeks premature at 26 weeks gestation. The tiny baby girl weighed just one pound and had a mountain of obstacles to overcome. With the support and love of her parents and the medical team, she triumphed.
Rob and Chantal Beare shared a video of their baby girl – now the older of their two young daughters. Tru overcame chronic lung disease, two battles with necrotizing enterocolitis (a disease that affects the intestines of preemies), two blood clots, sepsis, staphylococcus, a congenital heart defect, retinopathy, and MRSA, among others. She went through seven blood transfusions and four rounds of antibiotics in order to survive.
READ: These 4 ‘micro-preemies’ show that every life deserves a chance
Tru was taken to the neonatal intensive care until birth, where it would be 11 days before her mother would be able to cuddle her. Tears came to her mother’s eyes as a smile spread across her face in that moment. Tru proved to be feisty from the start, refusing to keep her arm under the blanket and pushing her mother’s hand away while she slept.
On day 33 after birth, Tru became very sick. But she fought hard and bounced back. She grew healthier and stronger with each day. On day 54 after birth, her father was able to cuddle her for the first time — an emotional moment. By day 71, she was finally able to be moved out of the incubator and into a crib, and on day 86, she experienced her first real bath. After 131 days in the hospital, baby Tru went home. This was four weeks after her original due date.
The first images of Tru in the video will tug at your heart. She appears so fragile. At just 26 weeks gestation, it would have been completely legal to end her life through abortion in the United States despite the fact that 80 percent of children born premature at this age will survive. An 80 percent rate of survival, yet our society accepts killing them before they can take their first breaths outside the womb. In abortions this late, these preborn babies’ hearts are stopped and their mothers deliver stillborn children. Dr. Anthony Levatino explains in this video:
Thankfully, Tru is now a healthy toddler and big sister because people were willing to fight for her. Every child should be so fortunate.
