Canadian ‘brain dead’ woman gives birth to healthy son

Dylan and Iver Benson enjoy a hug after his birth Saturday.
Credit: Dylan Benson's blog, MisterBenson.com

VICTORIA, British Columbia, February 11, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Canadian father and husband is experiencing an impossible mix of emotions at the birth of his first child followed by the passing of his wife, who was declared ‘brain dead’ by doctors in December.

Baby Iver Cohen Benson, who shot to international fame after his father Dylan requested that doctors keep his wife Robyn on life support to give his unborn son what he called a “chance of survival,” was born Saturday at a Victoria hospital.

“On Saturday evening, my beautiful and amazing son, Iver Cohen Benson, was born. Iver is healthy and is the cutest and most precious person I have ever met,” Benson wrote on his blog.

Doctors had declared Robyn Benson, 32, “brain dead” at the end of December, one day after suddenly suffering a massive blood leak to her brain. She was 22 weeks pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Husband Dylan told doctors to keep his wife on life support to allow the child to develop until he could survive outside the womb, about 26-28 weeks. Iver was born at about 28 weeks gestation.

Born about 12 weeks premature, baby Iver requires round-the-clock medical support to keep him alive.

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