Brave mother to give birth to dying baby so her organs can be donated

'I don’t want to let her go yet'

(ITV/This Morning

TV viewers were left in tears after a brave couple explained their decision to donate their unborn baby’s organs to those in need of life saving transplants.

Speaking on This Morning, Hayley Martin, 30, from East Yorkshire, said she was given the devastating news that her baby daughter, Ava-Joy, would die during labour or just moments after birth, at her 20-week scan.

But, instead of taking the termination that was offered to them by doctors, she and husband Scott, 30, decided to take the pregnancy to full term so that their baby’s organs could go to other newborns in need.

“We didn't even consider it [the termination],” Martin said during the emotional interview.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. She is my child.”

The mother-of-three explained that she noticed something was wrong after she was able to lie on her tummy at 19-weeks.

However, when they went for their 5-month scan, the couple were told that Ava Joy had been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called bilateral renal agenesis and would not survive the pregnancy.

(ITV/This Morning)

The terminal diagnosis means the baby has no kidneys or bladder and is not surrounded by enough amniotic fluid, causing underdeveloped lungs.

While there is a chance that Ava Joys organs will not fully develop, the couple are hopeful that tissue from her heart valves, liver cells and pancreas will prove suitable for donation.

“They can store them up to 10 years, and anything is better than nothing. I know she can’t donate proper organs but tissue is just as valuable,” the tearful mother said.

(ITV/This Morning)

Martin has also revealed in previous interviews that she would like to donate one of her own kidneys in Ava Joy’s name as soon as she has recovered from the birth, adding, “'Our child is going to die no matter what, but if we can try and save somebody else the grief we are going through, it will all be worth it.”

The selfless couple are also planning on starting a charity project in their daughter’s memory to help other families who decide to carry to term, despite fatal diagnosis.

They hope to raise awareness and provide families with memory packs that include 4D scans, bump casts, journals, memory books and heart bears.

Following the passing of Ava Joy, the family are planning a wake and funeral before she is cremated, and are also Crowdfunding to raise money so that she can have a special service.