Six and a half months into the pregnancy, Mayra began chemotherapy. About six weeks later, however, doctors determined that the treatments were not working, and they had to perform an immediate caesarean section.
The operation involved a high risk of death for both Mayra and her son. It was an intense day of prayers and trust, Father John Gregory explained, and it affected even the hospital workers. "The nurses said, ‘This the first time we have seen something so strong, the blending of life and death.’"
Mayra survived the C-section, and Samuel was born, healthy for a premature baby. After a few weeks, the family was able to go home, but Mayra’s condition continued to decline, until she had to return to the hospital, where the pain could be controlled.
Despite radiation therapy, the cancer overtook Mayra’s body and eventually, she was unable to eat or even breathe on her own.
On June 21, while she was in the hospital, Mayra and Ricardo were married. As they had grown in their faith and received guidance from Fr. John Gregory, they had come to see the meaning of marriage.
"We got married in a room in the hospital. It was beautiful," Ricardo said. "Afterwards, we felt peaceful, in God’s grace. We also did it for Samuel, so that he could also receive God’s blessing of having his parents married."
As her condition grew worse, Mayra’s family prepared for the end of her earthly life. Aida described the beauty that shone through the pain of her sister’s last days on earth. "At the end, I saw her like Christ, with so many wounds and bruises on her arms and her side," she said.
Those who knew Mayra will remember her beautiful witness to life. Fr. John Gregory described the opportunity to accompany Mayra along this difficult journey as "an incredible path of faith" for his own life.
"[T]his experience has given me more strength to preach what death really is, because she gave me a witness of a new birth," he said. "It has given me more enthusiasm and helped me to understand that I have to explain that the true death is sin, not physical death."
Ricardo said that Mayra’s sickness and death taught him about the existence and love of God. "Through all this, God made me know that He exists, that He is with us," he said.
Ricardo wants to give back to the Catholic community that has and continues to support him. But for now, his primary focus is his new son, whom he wants to raise and educate in God’s love. "Now I have to look after Samuel, and tell him that his mommy gave her life for him," he said.
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Although coping with Mayra’s death is still difficult, Ricardo finds strength in the Lord as he moves forward. "Now I’m at peace," he said. "I have hope and continue trusting in God. It has changed my life."