A "miracle" baby who survived two births after doctors found a rare and large tumor growing in her has beat tough odds.
Doctors told Margaret Boemer and her husband, Jeff, that their baby girl, Lynlee Hope, had what's called a sacrococcygeal teratoma when Margaret Boemer went in for her 16-week check-up. The tumor, which is rare, grows at the base of the tailbone and can get large, although they're rarely malignant.
The family detailed their daughter's story in a GoFundMe page set up to help with their medical expenses.
After learning about their daughter's tumor, the couple met with two doctors to figure out their next steps. One doctor warned Margaret Boemer that it would be in her best interests to terminate the pregnancy, because of the "extremely large size of our baby's tumor and the risks to my health," she said.
However, doctors at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston told the Boemers that she had another option: open fetal surgery.
"They told us she had a 50 (percent) chance of making it with the surgery," Margaret Boemer said. "Jeff and I were in agreement that termination was not an option and we wanted to give Lynlee a chance at life by going with Texas Children's and having open fetal surgery."
When Margaret Boemer reached 23 weeks of pregnancy, doctors realized that Lynlee's tumor was growing.
"(It) was taking the majority of her blood supply and causing her to go into cardiac failure," Margaret Boemer said. The mother was rushed into surgery to save Lynlee.
Surgeons removed her uterus, cut through to Lynlee and managed to remove 90 percent of the tumor.
"It was a shock to Lynlee's system, so they did have to help restart her heart and give her a blood transfusion," Margaret Boemer said. "Once she was stable, they put her back in and sewed up my uterus and abdomen. Then it became a wait-and-see game."
Margaret Boemer was ordered to bed rest as she and her baby recovered.
Lynlee Hope was born June 6. According to KPRC, her tailbone was removed to prevent the regrowth of her tumor. It was not immediately clear whether the surgery would impact her ability to sit or stand.
"Through this entire experience, we have trusted in God to get us through each day," Margaret Boemer said.
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