Diane Augler felt like she’d just been hit by a ton of bricks when the doctor told her that she was going to lose her husband. Mark, 52, had been diagnosed with colon cancer. Surgeons successfully removed the tumor but decided that Mark would still need to undergo chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the treatment caused pulmonary fibrosis, a severe and inevitably fatal scarring of the lung tissue. In fact, Mark probably wouldn’t survive another week. It was January 16th.
Diane was pregnant with their fifth child. Her due date was January 29th and that meant Mark would likely never meet his yet-unborn daughter. When she heard her dying husband say, “I’d like to see the baby,” Diane knew she would have to have opt for an induced delivery.
Delivery day was set for January 18th. With just a couple days’ notice, doctors and hospital staff were able to pull some strings and get a delivery room large enough to accommodate the medical needs of both parents. Mark and Diane’s hospital beds were pushed next to each other and with Mark lying at her side, Diane gave birth to Savannah. After the newborn was cleaned up, she spent 45 minutes at her father’s side. In the video posted below, you can see the intensity of the moment on Diane’s face. The family spent the next few very emotional days together.
Mark grew weaker and weaker and slipped into a coma on January 21st. As Diane recalled, “If she cried, he would shake his head and moan. I put her on him when he was in the coma a few times and his hand would move toward her.” Two days later, Mark died surrounded by his family. As his vital signs dropped, Diane placed Savannah in Mark’s arms and held his hand. He cradled his baby girl all the way to his final breath.
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