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METAIRIE, Louisiana, September 23, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An American mother suffering from cystic fibrosis defied medical odds, and her doctor’s advice, to give birth to healthy identical triplets.

“I couldn’t believe that I was actually pregnant, and when the scan showed there were three heartbeats I nearly passed out,” said Kandace Smith from Louisiana to the UKs Daily Mail newspaper.

Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disorder that affects the entire body causing progressive disability, often leading to early death. Respiratory infections that result from the disease make it difficult to breath.

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For young Kandace, aged 20, pregnancy with cystic fibrosis was perilous because of the extra pressure it puts on her lungs.

When Kandace was told by her doctors to abort the babies to save her own life, the heroic mother showed her fighting spirit.

“I knew that it was going to be difficult and risky for me, but I wanted to take that risk. I had never thought it was possible that I could ever be a mum, so I wanted to have that chance.”

“I was determined.”

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The marvel of modern medical intervention helped keep Kandance and her pre-born children alive.

“We were very concerned that her lung function wouldn’t be able to tolerate the triplet pregnancy,” said Gabriella Pridjian, an Obstetrician from Tulane-Lakeside Hospital, Louisiana who assisted Kandance, according to the Mail.

“And if we had to deliver the babies early, they may not have been at a gestational age where they would live,” she added.

As Kandace approached 28 weeks, her struggle to breathe took a turn for the worse. Doctors were forced to carry out an emergency Caesarian delivery to save Kandace and her babies.

“My breathing got worse and worse and eventually it got so bad that they didn’t think I was going to make it. So, even though the babies were tiny, they needed to deliver them,” said Kandace.

“I was so worried about them because they were being born so early. I just had to pray that they would all survive.”

To the joy of Kandace and her fiancé Steven Bowers, 3 healthy girls were born, each weighing 2 pounds. The parents named them Brooklyn, Savannah, and Dakota. Even though the girls were premature, each breathed well on her own and passed all the hospital’s health test. None of the girls appeared to have been given the cystic fibrosis gene from their mother.

“They did so well, we were both really proud of them,” said Kandace.

Calling the triple birthday the “hardest fight of my life” the young mother says that it was worth every second.

“I would have died for my girls if I’d had to.”

Kandace Smith made medical history last year for being the first documented woman in the world with cystic fibrosis to give birth to triplets. Her triumph is scheduled to appear in a scientific journal.

Read the Daily Mail article here.