Mom sacrifices own life to save 'miracle' baby

A mother in Aurora, Colorado, has made a decision to benefit her newborn son at the cost of her own life.

Karisa Bugal, 34, was in labor with her second child recently when doctors told her she had an amniotic fluid embolism, a condition that happens in slightly more than one in 100,000 births.

The Mayo Clinic explains it's "a rare but serious condition that occurs when amniotic fluid – the fluid that surrounds a baby in the uterus during pregnancy – or fetal material, such as hair, enters the maternal bloodstream."

Karisa Bugal

“Deep down, I knew it wasn’t good, but I wanted to keep faith. They came in and rushed her back to the delivery room and had to do an emergency C-section,” Karisa Bugal’s husband, Wes Bugal said.

“Knowing the grim prognosis of this, I think it’s possible that we could have lost Declan,” Dr. Kelly Gerow said.

Karisa's last decision is being described on the GoFundMe.com site, where supporters are raising money for the family.

The page was set up by family friend Kendall Tinnes, who said after being informed of the condition and the severity, Karisa chose to have an emergency C-section so her baby could be born.

“She came to the hospital to be a mom and she did what she was supposed to do,” the baby's aunt Maren Oates said.

"Karisa was sacrificing her own body and ultimately her life to save his. Karisa was conscious of Declan (the newborn son) being born just before the doctors were forced to take her to the ICU," Tinnes wrote.

Tinnes says Karisa's last question was, "How big is he?"

Tinnes writes that Karisa was close to two significant landmarks in her life.

"Karisa was 34 years old and was set to celebrate her eight-year wedding anniversary on the 5th followed by her 35th birthday," Tinnes wrote.

"Wes [Karisa's husband] and the kids will try to move forward missing greatly the touch and presence of Karisa in their lives. The tasks at hand and the tasks yet to come cannot be asked of any one person. Through the pain, anger, and heartache they will need to find their way through an endless maze of questions," Tinnes said.

Declan Jay Bugal

The page, which was started with a goal of $20,000, has raised more than $55,000 for the family and Tinnes says it's to help the Bugal family with their expenses. More than 1,000 people have joined.

"Now, let's see if we can crush the goal and impact the long term health and success of Declan and Mallory. What a thought! The ability to help secure the future of these two children," Tinnes wrote.

"To leave a lasting impact in such a simple way. To know they will have the same opportunities as others, and to extend our help many years from now. What a testament that will be!" Tinnes wrote.

On the GoFundMe site, Bobbie Padgett Buttery wrote on Thanksgiving Day, "This story made me cry … what a beautiful woman … and an amazing mom. Prayers for Wes and those beautiful kids."

The day before, Clarke Brannon wrote, "How this broke my heart. What a strong, strong woman. Saw Garth Brooks on TV this afternoon and he sang his song 'Mom' and it made me think of this courageous mother. Prayers for the family."