Pregnant Mother Is ‘Brain Dead’ So They Keep Her Alive For 123 Days To Give Birth To Twins

Aug 17, 2021

As a parent, it is a devastating thing to lose a child, but it is even more painful when a pregnant mother loses her life. In many ways, it is more than one life that has ended and the pain can be almost unbearable for the loved ones who are left behind. However, in one of the most miraculous turns yet, a young mother who had lost her life tragically to a stroke was kept alive only through a ventilator and was able to carry her twins to term. 

When Frankielen da Silva Zampoli Padilha was only nine weeks pregnant in 2017, her family didn't know if she would pull through after she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Unfortunately, doctors knew that once she was brain dead, there was no way that she could survive her unfortunate stroke. Although her outcome was not what they wanted, the family was left with a bittersweet outcome as her twins were able to be carried to term. 

This is the first time ever that something like this was performed by doctors, and even though the twins had to spend a few months in neonatal care after they were delivered, they were able to become healthy and bring their family members some joy in one of the most difficult times of their lives. Incredibly, even after Frankielen had passed on, her children showed that they wanted to cling to life, which led to the doctors to make the decision to keep her alive for as long as possible to give the babies the best chance at survival. 

According to the Daily Mail, doctors saw that Frankielen's babies still had a heartbeat even after she died.

Dr. Dalton Rivabem, head of neurological ICU at the hospital, said, "We did an ultrasound on the embryos thinking they would be failing in the womb but to our surprise, they were clinging to life," adding, "Frankielen's organs were all intact and working as if she was still with us. We took the decision to keep her alive to save her unborn children. And every day we watched them grow normally."

The children's father, Muriel Padilha, said that the babies surviving this was a "miracle" especially after being told that there was no hope that Frankielen's babies would survive after her cerebral hemorrhage. While doctors were able to keep her alive so that her body would be able to provide the nutrients for the twins, there was no chance that Frankielen would survive because she was brain dead.

About this decision, Rivabem said, "There have been other cases, but ours is the longest one with 123 days - four months, and we started with embryos at two months and delivered twins. One of our main concerns was to keep the organ functions continual for the babies to grow and develop."

Rivabem sought help from a doctor in Portugal who had previously handled a similar case when a fetus gestated for 107 days before being born. Thankfully, they were able to achieve their gold by keeping Frankielen for an incredible 123 days, and the babies were able to survive. 

Daily Mail reported that the babies were delivered via C-section. The little boy and girl were kept in an incubator and were being cared for by the nurses and by their father for about three months.

Frankielen's mother, Angela Silva, was deeply saddened by the loss of her daughter, but she was joyful that there is a part of her left behind for the family to love. "I'm so proud of my daughter. It's been hard losing her but she was a warrior right until the end, protecting her beautiful children and giving them life until the day she finally died," Silva said about the situation. Silva began looking after her grandchildren as their father had to work. 

Muriel had been with Frankielen for six years before she passed away, and her loss was devastating for him. He told the news outlet, "Frankielen has appeared to me on many occasions especially when I was despairing and crying out for God to bring her back to me. One night she sat on my bed and said: 'Baby I can't come back to you anymore. I must stay. I am in a beautiful place now. You've got a big mission still to complete. You have to look after our children and you have to be strong and move on and live your life.'"

He also added, "Frankielen was a generous and loving person. I believe God chose her for this purpose so a miracle could happen." Soon after her children were born, Frankielen's life support was shut off so that her family could grieve her death while also taking care of her children.

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