Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Evan Rodriguez and his wife Olivia have refused to abort their baby girl due this December, despite doctors’ predictions that she will not live longer than a few days. Life News reports their daughter, Layla Sky, has been diagnosed with Anencephaly, a condition that is usually fatal.
Sarah Zagorski, of Life News explains, “The birth defect is described as a severe form of spina bifida where a failure of fusion of the neural tube in early pregnancy results in the baby developing without cerebral hemispheres, including the neocortex.”
Ninety-five percent of babies who are diagnosed with Anencephaly in utero are aborted.
Though Layla Sky will be born missing part of her brain and skull, the NFL player and his wife decided to carry on with the pregnancy after praying for guidance.
The couple said, “We decided to continue with the process because we felt like who are we to determine a baby’s life. So, we are going to leave it in God’s hands.”
Evan and Olivia Rodriguez are now spreading awareness for Anencephaly. The couple created a Facebook page called “The fight for Layla Sky” to teach women how to reduce the risk of birth defects.
“It felt like it was our job to let other people know about this,” Evan Rodriguez said.
He added that they will see their daughter again someday.
“She’ll be waiting up there saying daddy. So, there’s a time and place for everything,” Rodriguez said.
Photo courtesy: en.wikipedia.org
Publication date: August 26, 2015
