Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 30: A Kerala based nurse who was diagnosed with Cancer, chose to give birth to her eighth child than terminating the pregnancy and opting for treatment, due to her Catholic pro-life beliefs.
Sapna Tracy (43), who worked as a senior nursing officer at the AIIMS in New Delhi, delivered her eighth child in December 2015, and died on Christmas day, December 25 this year in Thrissur after delaying cancer treatment.
Tracy was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was in the third month of her eighth pregnancy. The doctors advised her to terminate the pregnancy and start immediate treatment. They warned that she would orphan her seven other children all below the age of fifteen, if she did not start treatment.
However, she reportedly told the doctor, “Only I can give birth to this child growing in my womb. There are many good-hearted people who can take care of my seven other children,” her husband Chittilappally Joju (50) tells a newspaper.
Mastectomy was performed in the sixth month of pregnancy. Doctors wanted to start radiation therapy and chemotherapy but Tracy agreed to treatment only after delivery.
About a year ago, Tracy was told that the cancer had spread to the lungs. Joju took the entire family — five boys and three girls — to Kerala earlier this year. Joju said he always supported the stand his wife took. “We consider life very precious. We have no right to terminate it. I had no qualms about backing her decision not to abort and start cancer treatment. We could not have saved two lives. I believe population will drive development. Had Tracy been healthy, we would have gone for the ninth child,’’ he reportedly told a newspaper.
The couple had also started counselling the children about Sapna’s health condition and prepared them for their mother’s death.
In their youth the couple were active members of Jesus Youth and Catholic Charismatic Renewal movements. In recent years, both were actively involved in the pro-life movement of the Church, promoting large families and working against abortion.
The Kerala Catholic Church diocese in Faridabad also honoured the couple for having a large family.
Joju serves as a social worker under the Church in the national Capital, while Sapna was the main bread-winner of the family.
Kerala Catholic Bishops Council’s Family Commission Secretary Fr Paul Madassery said the woman’s decision was right and the Church backed her pro-life stand. “God and good-hearted people around them would take care of the children,” he said.