Mum who gave up chemo to give birth dies days after daughter born

A mother who was diagnosed with brain cancer and refused treatment so she could give birth to her baby daughter has died.

US mum Carrie DeKlyen, 37, gave birth to her sixth child on Wednesday but sadly died just days later at University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor surrounded by her family.

Her husband, Nick Deklyen, said his last words to his wife were, "I'll see you in heaven."

"We stayed by her until she took her last breath," Mr DeKlyen said.

"It's in God's hands now."

Last week, doctors performed an emergency cesarean section to save her baby, who was born prematurely at 24 weeks.

The couple named the girl "Life".

On Saturday, her husband said she was "just hours away" from death".

Mrs DeKlyen sacrificed the chance to undergo chemotherapy in order to give birth to her new baby.

She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma in April after suffering from terrible headaches.

She was referred the University of Michigan for a clinical trial, which experts said could potentially extend her life by 10-15 years.

However, just weeks later, the tests revealed she was pregnant.

Mrs DeKleyn was given two options: terminate the pregnancy or undergo chemotherapy.

The chemotherapy could have harmed the unborn baby.

Mr DeKleyn told PEOPLE Magazine in August that doctors informed his wife if she didn’t terminate the baby she would die.

"But it was Carrie’s decision and I said, 'What do you want to do?' he said.

"She said, 'We’re keeping it.'"

In June, Mrs DeKleyn, who is pro-life, had a catheter inserted to relieve fluid from her brain after suffering vomit-inducing headaches.

At 19 weeks’ pregnant with Life, she lost consciousness in an emergency room.

Although Mrs DeKleyn was given little chance to live, doctors desperately worked to save her unborn daughter.

She was hooked up to feeding and breathing tubes while her daughter gained weight.

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Doctors then evaluated Life’s health on Wednesday and she was found to be sick.

They informed the family the only chance of survival was for the baby to be delivered that day.

Life was born at 5.30pm while her mother lied in a coma.

A post on the Cure 4 Carrie Facebook page read Life was born and “doing as well as they hoped”.

A post hours later revealed Mrs DeKleyn’s fate.

"She is in God's hands until he calls her home," it said.

She died shortly after.

As well as Life, Mrs DeKleyn is mum to Elijah, 18, Isaiah, 16, Nevaeh, 11, Leila, four, and Jez, two.

Mr DeKleyn said Life’s birth was what his wife wanted and he was trying to be happy for the baby.

“But the love of my life is hours away from dying, it hurts so bad," he said at the time.

A GoFundMe pagehas been set up to raise money for Mrs DeKleyn’s family.