While Potter’s syndrome is gaining awareness in the U.S. through the life of Abigail, the first baby to ever survive the condition, a mom in the United Kingdom is working to raise awareness of the condition as well, in memory of her son Charlie.
The condition affects the development of amniotic fluid, which is essential for lung and kidney development. It often causes stillbirths.
U.S. Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, 34, and U.K. resident Carrie Curtis, 20, were both told their children’s lives were “incompatible with life,” and, despite pressures to abort, both insisted on not giving up on their children and the chance of survival.
And, while Rep. Beutler’s daughter Abigail’s survival may be giving hope to others facing the same prenatal diagnosis, the charity set up in Curtis’s son Charlie’s name is also serving as a source of healing and hope for families with that same diagnosis.
The Daily Mail writes of the U.K. baby Charlie:
Doctors spotted the syndrome when expectant mother Carrie was 18-weeks pregnant, but she chose not to terminate her son’s life as he was otherwise developing normally and had a very strong heartbeat.
Curtis spoke to the Daily Mail about the pressure she suffered from doctors to abort:
Miss Curtis, 20, said: 'I wanted to give Charlie the best chance I life that I could.
'I knew the chances of him surviving were almost nil but as long as he had a heartbeat, I wasn’t going to change my mind – no matter how many times doctors asked me if I was sure.
Of Charlie’s birth, the Daily Mail wrote:
During her pregnancy, Miss Curtis prepared herself for the worst but when she gave birth to him on December 29 last year, in her 32nd week of pregnancy, she said he looked like any other newborn baby, despite weighing just 4lb.
Miss Curtis, from Leeds, said: 'It was a normal birth and I had a big team of people looking after me.
'As soon as he came out, he was taken over to an incubator where they tried to work. But his lungs were nearly non-existent and there was nothing they could do.
He passed away at 19 minutes.
'They wrapped him in a towel and let me hold him while he slipped away.
'Charlie opened his eyes and looked at me, which will forever be a lasting moment for me,' Miss Curtis added.
'I knew his chances were slim but I was never going to give up on him and when I got to hold him in my arms, I was so pleased that I hadn’t.
After he passed, Curtis stayed with Charlie’s body for three days:
'The hospital let me stay in a specially-adapted suite where parents who have lost children can go.
'I was allowed to hold him and be with him for as long as I wanted. At first it was hard because I expected him to open his eyes and be alright but as I was there longer, having the time with him was comforting.'
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