A young mother knew time was of the essence. As her husband was only given a very short time to live, she vowed to ensure their baby boy would meet his father: “I acted out of love.”
Deaths and births are two of the most emotional days human beings experience. However, giving birth the same day that you lose the love of your life is both bittersweet and tragic. Haley Parke was pregnant with her and her husband John Brinton (Jb) Parke’s second child as he battled cancer. The couple had only been married three years and had a young son.
“In an emotional Facebook post, Parke detailed how her husband, Jb Parke, had been admitted to Connecticut’s Hartford Hospital in late November after experiencing complications due to his battle with cancer. A short time later, the couple learned Jb’s life expectancy had changed from months to days,” People Magazine reported.
With their second child due three weeks after receiving the poor prognosis, Haley — with the help of her doctors — made the decision to induce labor early to give Jb an opportunity to meet his new son, but when Jb’s health soon began to deteriorate quickly, Haley had to make a tough call. She made the decision to have a C-section.
“It was either a C-section right at that moment, or Jb would not have the opportunity to meet our son,” Haley wrote. “Without a question in my mind, I said ‘Let’s go’ and we did just that. In a matter of literally one minute, I was in the OR, and in just a short 20 minutes later, our son was born,” she recalled, adding, “Up until the moment of induction, we had not had names picked out. I knew in my heart it was only right to honor my husband.” Their son, whom Haley named John Beeson Parke, was born healthy, weighing 7 pounds and 4 ounces.
“He was given to me for a quick kiss, and then a team of doctors and nurses ran him up 2 floors, and he was placed on his daddy’s chest,” Haley continued. “The miracle of all this? When our baby was placed on Jb’s chest, Jb’s vitals all instantly improved. He was also acknowledging our son was there by making small head movements and sweet moans.”
After her operation, Haley was wheeled in her bed and also brought to her husband’s hospital room. It was there that she and their newborn son shared Jb’s final moments. “I spent my recovery time gazing at my husband,” Haley wrote. “I was gazing at him in sadness, but in awe of his strength. He took his last breaths with our son on his chest and my hand in his hand,” she continued.
“From the OR to the ICU room, there were what felt like hundreds of doctors and nurses floating us through this process effortlessly,” Haley wrote. “Not one of them having a dry eye the entire time. Some of them told me they’ll never forget this act of selflessness. Some called my actions brave and heroic. I just call it love. I acted out of love. I put my trust in God that this was part of his plan, and I did what I had to do, out of love, to fulfill my husband’s last wish,” she recalled. “Your story is truly a miracle,” Haley wrote of her son.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help raise funds for Haley, her eldest son Brinton, and her newborn. “Jb was the epitome of a father, husband, son, brother, and friend,” organizers wrote on the page. Donors have been generous, touched by the bittersweet birth of baby John and the heartbreaking death of his father Jb. Speaking to Today Show, Haley described the experience as “both my greatest grief and my greatest joy” at the same time.