Coming on the heels of this week’s horrifically tragic death of a New York woman who suffered a ruptured uterus following a late-term abortion, there’s an inspirational story to share — one that, ironically, also involves abortion. In 2011, doctors told Jade Clarke of Yorkshire, England, that her baby wouldn’t survive if she continued with her pregnancy. But rather than complying with medical professionals’ advice that she terminate, she forged on.
After she delivered the child, a baby boy named Riley, doctors soon realized that their assessments were wrong. But despite the infant’s survival, the road hasn’t been easy. He spent the majority of his first 17 months in the hospital, with doctors this week finally permitting him to go home with Jade and the baby’s father, Rikki. While he was born in Sept. 2011 and went home a few weeks after his birth, Riley returned to receive medical care in December of that year and received in-patient medical care until this past Wednesday.
In addition to being born with his heart on the wrong side of his body, the child also had disconnected valves and twisted bowels, the Daily Mail reports. But his 22-year-old mother, determined to keep the child, battled alongside doctors to save her son’s life.
“Doctors told me time and time again that Riley would have no chance, and I should consider an abortion,” Jade said. “But he’s an angel sent from above. He’s my first child and I just felt I wanted to keep him.”
Even though he’s been released by the hospital, Riley continues to have health challenges. Doctors claim he may never walk, he has a tracheostomy that is attached to a ventilator and a kidney that is not properly formed.
Jade and Rikki are full-time caretakers for the child, but despite the hurdles they are overjoyed that he is now home and that they will have more time to spend with him.
“He’s such a happy chappy. He loves Tigger from Winnie the Pooh and is always bouncing about,” she said, going on to say that the challenges are entirely worth it. “He needs watching constantly as sometimes he tries to pull out his tubes. It’s challenging but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
(H/T: Daily Mail)
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Comments (160)
jackonapes
Feb. 15, 2013 at 8:28pmBecause of complications with our son the first child, during premature birth for a few minutes my wife was dead and revived and kept under for days. [He is now great young man] The doctors did a T cut to remove him. She was told no more children but ten years later she is pregnant. Again the doctors, some family said ‘terminate’ or she may die this time. We were scared. I told her to have faith in god with an assurance that didnt come from any logic in me. The scheduled day of c section my daughter was born perfectly healthy. They said the womb surrounding her was thinner than a balloon and if they did the c section 1 day or less it would have ruptured possibly killing both. Our son is in his 20s and daughter is a teenager, great kids. I still get misty eyed when i think about it. I sometimes tell pro choicers that know us that story because if you know my daughter there is no choice. Thanks God for blessing a sinner with a miracle.
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DDD
Feb. 15, 2013 at 8:22pmParents made the brave and correct choice. If God wanted the boy, he would have taken him before he was born. He’s theirs for as long as is deemed. Bless them all.
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begreen
Feb. 15, 2013 at 7:02pmThe greater the trail the greater the glory.
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54smom
Feb. 15, 2013 at 6:51pmI don’t begrudge giving to someone who truly needs help. This child may need help his entire life, I’m ok with giving to an organization that will take care of them. But I do have a major problem with the govt forcing you to take care of people that are more able that can and should be taking care of themselves. We somehow have become unable to tell the difference.
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hardcharger812
Feb. 15, 2013 at 6:50pmThank you mom and dad for choosing live.
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Verceofreason
Feb. 15, 2013 at 6:30pmI would never condemn a fetus to a life of suffering.
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DexterMorgan
Feb. 16, 2013 at 6:57pmI would never condemn your brain a life of suffering from lack of use.
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Jenny Lind
Feb. 15, 2013 at 6:24pmIt is a choice made in faith-I made it 42 years ago, when getting an abortion was the “new freedom” (1971), I was ill and they said I should. We chose to trust God, and I know how the love of an unborn child holds the strings of your heart. She had to struggle a bit, and we say thank God for the red headed stubborness of our baby girl, and I am gratefull every day she is here in the world. She is an amazing woman, and hopefully this litttle one will thrive too. I will pray for him as I did my angel. She teaches children and is a gun-owning firecracker of a libertarian.
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Jake Dog2
Feb. 15, 2013 at 6:17pm@Verceofreason The_Jerk
I see the state psych units have opened the internet to the inmates again.
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Atikva
Feb. 15, 2013 at 6:06pmto DeniseJ
Whatever the responsibilities (and they are great, indeed) of those who pressured Mrs. Morbelli to kill an 8-month unborn baby, the medical staff didn’t put a gun to her head. In the end, the decision to kill the child was hers and her husband’s. Apparently they were a married, well-to-do, educated couple equipped to resist pressure on such a matter of life or death. Not to be confused with an abandoned, uneducated, brainwashed teenager whose ability to make a sound and informed decision would be impaired.
Jade and Rikki, too, were pressured by the medical staff, but they resisted. So did that Texas teenager who chose to resist to her parents’ attempts to force her to abort her baby.
As I said above, some of us have it, others don’t.
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azsmitty
Feb. 15, 2013 at 6:05pmWherein does knowledge spring? Doctors learn anew their craft of first “doing no harm” they expand their knowledge of how they can preserve and nurture life rather than advocate the easy path. Medicine is light years ahead of where it once was because of “challenges” overcome. Close personal friend is a Physician who specialty is intro-uterine surgury to correct problems detected by ultrascans, assuring the delivery of a healthy baby……….wherein does knowledge spring? Try consulting the Tree of all Knowlege. God continue to bless this child and his parents who live as testimony of the human spirt.
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flatbroke
Feb. 15, 2013 at 5:58pmCongrads Jade! you gave your baby a chance at life, and congrads Riley, welcome to the world. God bless you!
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Perspective
Feb. 15, 2013 at 5:29pmGod Bless!
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true-lantern
Feb. 15, 2013 at 5:04pmWhat courage this mother had!–Yes truly inspirational—they should send this story to the Democrats.
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Scott_Muto
Feb. 15, 2013 at 3:45pmI believe that all life is sacred even when that life may not have a chance to grow.
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Aine
Feb. 15, 2013 at 3:19pmEngland and its National Health Service–I’m pleasantly surprised to read this infant received such extraordinary care.
What a beautiful boy. God bless him and his loving parents. May a long and happy live be theirs to share.
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scrapadapolis
Feb. 15, 2013 at 3:05pmThese bull crap stories so shes 22 I’ll bet she has no job,There is No father mentioned and the county where she lives will have to pay for a worthless child who will sit in a wheelchair till death,She will no doubt enroll the kid in school (if it lives)the veggy kid will be wheeled to all classes untill 18 then get a feel good diploma for sitting 7 hours in a class with a nanny feeding wiping and listining to the woo uupp and poping sounds this kid will make for 12 years.Angel my **** a burden to to the country for yet another feel good mommy wanting a child that wont run play catch have girlfriends sleep overs.way to go mommy keep up the life on the system.Lord knows YOU wont beable to afford that kid.
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tradcatholicgirl
Feb. 15, 2013 at 4:33pmGod Forgive you.
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normalmom
Feb. 15, 2013 at 4:39pmRead it again. The fathers name is Rikki and they mentioned about the kid liking Tigger in Winnie the Pooh, that shows right there that there is some cognitive abilities of the kid. All deserve a chance to live and with the goals of medicine he could greatly improve.
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Xanderson
Feb. 15, 2013 at 4:58pmStating your case is one thing but man, that is some vile **** you just spewed! Shame on you and God bless the little children who are allowed to be born.
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begreen
Feb. 15, 2013 at 7:14pmscrapadapolis Who do you think you are? What authority do you have to decide who lives or die? People like you make this world a dangerous place. Jeremiah 1:5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart”
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Atikva
Feb. 16, 2013 at 1:38pmLook at the pictures of the parents and child and tell me whether the alertness and intelligence reflected on Riley’s face are any less than those of any other kid of the same age.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4796906/joy-as-mum-told-to-abort-son-with-heart-on-wrong-side-finally-takes-him-home.html
Riley may acquire full or partial mobility in the future; on the other hand, you could loose yours some day and be confined to a wheelchair; would that make you worthless?
You ought to know that no child is “worthless”, only some adults can make themselves deserving of the label.
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Xanderson
Feb. 16, 2013 at 2:41pm@ATIKVA– Beautifully said! It reminds me of a line from my favorite story…”Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and fit to live than millions like this poor man’s child…”
Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”
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Verceofreason
Feb. 15, 2013 at 3:01pm“The child is a one time expense”?
Silliest post of the day.
His Year and a half in the hospital and on going care was free?
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LeadNotFollow
Feb. 15, 2013 at 3:00pmGod bless this wonderful family.
Their story, and photos of Baby, Mom, and Dad, below.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4796906/joy-as-mum-told-to-abort-son-with-heart-on-wrong-side-finally-takes-him-home.html
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AllAmericanGirl22
Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:57pmMany, MANY times the doctor will tell you there is something wrong with your baby and you should get an abortion. But many times they are wrong. God Bless the people who value life and don’t care if their child is imperfect because they are perfect to them.
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Verceofreason
Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:56pmThere is nothing ‘brave’ about bring a baby into the world
(knowing in advance it has multiple birth defects)
to suffer a lifetime of pain and suffering.
Just another SELFISH zealot.
After a few years as the care becomes more difficult,
the husband walks and the teen end up institutionalized.
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LeadNotFollow
Feb. 15, 2013 at 3:03pmSee the photos of this happy child and you will change your mind.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4796906/joy-as-mum-told-to-abort-son-with-heart-on-wrong-side-finally-takes-him-home.html
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Verceofreason
Feb. 15, 2013 at 6:32pmHe is too young to know how limited his life is going to be.
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DexterMorgan
Feb. 16, 2013 at 6:55pmSuresh what horrible grammar skills you have there oh “bright” one. Run along now your “friends” miss you on Reddit. Abortion is selfish not birth. Tell your mommy I said Hi when you come out of her basement for your Totinos pizza rolls and box of juice.
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normalmom
Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:50pmThe bravery that it took this mom to keep her baby is cool. You however have far more cases where a woman gets the tests done and the test says the baby will have down syndrome, or some other imperfection that can be tested for now. Alot of those women will get an abortion because they don’t want an imperfect baby. Right now with the progress of medical studies they could greatly improve this child to the point he no longer needs the breathing tube and can even be a working member of society. Maybe not a professor but just because someone isn’t a perfect human doesn’t mean they are worthless and shouldn’t be allowed to live. I hope they are able to improve the life of this boy.
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AmericaMustBeFree
Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:42pmMiracles do happen!
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searcher619
Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:38pmThere are just as many cases of women keeping an unwanted pregnancy and things going badly. Ultimately it’s none of our business if woman chooses to keep or abort.
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girlnurse
Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:17pmWe have to be fair. There are some valid points being made by the JERK and others. This is a VERY good discussion indeed. I think we should have a medical fund that we all agree on for babies such as this who are born. I mean if OCTOMOM can have 8 kids (or however many she has) and then go on welfare, then surely we could take care of a child with extensive medical needs! These are the kind of issues we should be discussing. “real life” issues that effect us all. We can NEVER go on the side of abortion on demand IMO. Doctors are human and make many mistakes. They take a sworn oath to uphold life! But, should we limit the amount of children a person can have because of their lack of monitary resources?? That would be going down a slippery slope…but something has to be done in an amoral society. Ummm how bout we get back to teaching children morals in the churches? That would be a good start.
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FeralHuman
Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:10pmIt seems like the Left Wing nutty Commies who post on here can’t stand the fact that tax money was used to keep this baby alive.
They do not at all complain about the billions we have used to hack and burn to death human babies in and outside of the womb.
After an abortion the baby does not get a funeral nor a proper burial. The evil people won’t put to rest their own children.
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