A Worthy Appeal

I don't usually blog for issues like this (though I probably should, because they're truly important), but it's a request for help that came through a good friend, and it's a worthy cause in every way. I'm cutting and pasting the text of the e-mail below, with the names of the people who sent it deleted...

Some of you I am emailing for the first time and for others and this is an update on my friend, Susan Torres.

On May 6, Susan Torres-26-year-old vaccine researcher at NIH, mother of a two-year-old son, Peter, collapsed of a brain hemorrhage. She was rushed to the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, where she has been diagnosed with stage four melanoma and is brain dead with little hope of recovery. What makes this situation especially tragic is that Susan is 18 weeks pregnant. Right now, doctors are fighting to keep her alive through artificial respiration and other means until July 11, to give her baby a fighting chance at life. Over this past weekend (May 21-22), Susan has contracted pneumonia, and is breathing with just one lung. Her blood pressure has been unstable, however the doctors are hopeful she will be able to fight off the infection. The sonogram of the baby (as of last week), looks good. There is a 95% chance it is a girl--which is great news considering preemie baby girls seem to fair better than boys.

As a young family, Susan and her husband Jason Torres have few assets and their health insurance is severely limited. This family faces financial ruin-simply lying in the bed in ICU is costing more than $2000 per day, before drugs, interventions, and other medical costs-and Jason may have to care for a premature baby on top of the expense of Susan's care. Above and beyond anything else, please pray for this family.
Also, many of you have asked how you can help. Honestly, donations are very needed and we have set up a trust for unreimbursed medical expenses. If your budget allows, please send a check to:

The Susan M. Torres Fund
PO Box 34105
Washington DC 20043-0105

(Tax exempt status is pending.) Please forward this email to anyone you think can help and thank you so much on behalf of my friend Susan.

If you can't give, please pray for the baby and for this family, and count your own blessings.