The full tragedy behind the delivery this week of miracle baby Lourenço to a brain-dead mother kept artificially alive for a record 108 days is being revealed in today’s newspapers, a day after the woman’s funeral.
According to national tabloid Correio da Manhã, the child has been “rejected by his father”, and will be going to live with his mother’s parents.
Far from being a previously ‘happy family’, the story emerging today is one of some hardship.
Sandra Pedro, 37 – who ‘died’ on February 20 as a result of a stroke – lived in a tiny apartment in the ‘modest’ neighbourhood of Póvoa de Santa Iria “with difficulties”, her former landlady, 80-year-old Maria Ferreira told CM.
But despite her difficulties, Sandra Pedro is described as a very extrovert woman, a good mother of an 11-year-old son from a previous relationship and someone who had been very much looking forward to the birth of her son.
As to the “rejection” by the child’s birth father, CM explains he told a meeting at Lisbon’s São José Hospital – which has been hailed for Lourenço’s miracle delivery (click here) – “that he did not have the conditions” to care for his son.
Nothing is said over whether or not he means to keep in contact with the little boy who is likely to remain in intensive care for at least another three weeks, due to his need for “respiratory support”.
CM adds that S. José’s medical team has asked for José to be the child’s second name.
Meantime news of Lourenço’s extraordinary journey to life has made the world’s press, with the UK Telegraph also calling it “a miracle” and stressing that it could very well be “a world first” in terms of babies born to mothers kept mechanically alive.
