VICTORIA, Canada — A Canadian man whose pregnant wife has been declared brain dead has raised over $140,000 in his desire to keep his wife on life support until their baby is able to be delivered.

Robyn Benson, 32, collapsed on December 28th after complaining of severe head pain. It was later discovered that she had suffered massive hemorrhaging on the brain, and was declared to be brain dead. Her husband Dylan, who went to the store to get Benson a bottle of Tylenol, returned to find his wife unconscious, but still breathing. Doctors attempted to revive Benson, but were unsuccessful, and concluded that it was unlikely that the woman would ever wake up.

As Benson was 22 weeks pregnant when the incident occurred, she was put on life support until the couple’s child could be delivered via-C-section. The hospital plans on taking the baby at approximately 34 weeks, likely in late March.

While heartbroken about his wife’s plight, Benson launched an online fundraising campaign to help cover hospital expenses, as well as the cost of taking care of the couple’s child following birth. Benson has already named the baby, a boy, Iver Cohen, and has been blogging about his thoughts and feelings on the web.

“Our family and close friends are all very supportive and all think that my wife would want me to try and give our child the best life possible, so that’s what I’m going to try and do,” Dylan wrote in one post. “Assuming that the C-section is successful, of course my son will then spend the next several weeks in the hospital under intensive care until he is ready to be released to me.”

He lamented that Iver will likely never get to meet his mother.

“It is very difficult to know that our son will grow up never meeting his wonderful mother, and that we will have to say our goodbyes to Robyn within hours of seeing Iver for the first time,” he stated. “She was my rock. She did so much for us, and I can’t believe I won’t get to talk to her again.”

Benson originally had a goal of raising $36, o00 for expenses, but fundraising efforts have well exceeded expectations. According to reports, over $140,000 has poured in to help support Iver and his family both before and after his birth.

A similar situation made headlines last month when a 14-week pregnant Texas woman, who was likewise declared brain dead, was ordered to be removed from life support upon a judge’s order. Attorneys for the husband and parents of Marlise Munoz had fought hospital officials in court after the hospital sought to keep the woman on life support until the baby could be born via C-section. Munoz was nearly 24 weeks pregnant when she was removed from the ventilator, and her baby girl was named Nicole.

Although attorneys for the Munoz family had contended that the baby was “distinctly abnormal” and may have also had heart issues, some pro-life groups said that the child should have still been given a chance.

“Why was baby Munoz denied even the possibility of survival? It appears that the baby girl’s disabilities determined her value in this case, and sadly, it was wrongly decided that her life was not worth saving,” said Jennifer Mason of Personhood USA in a news release. “[D]isabled children are created in God’s image, and still have a right to live.”

Editor’s Note: Those that wish to donate to the Baby Iver Fund may do so by clicking here. 

Photo: CBC

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