"Hand of Hope"

[Guest guest]

There was a picture that appeared in the November 16 edition of "The

National Enquirer." It should be "The Picture of the Year," or

perhaps, "The picture of the Decade."

 

The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text

explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus

Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the

finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of

life."

 

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel

Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph

Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not

survive if removed from the mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother,

Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr.

Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure.

 

Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville,

he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the

womb.

 

In the procedure, a C-section removes the uterus and the doctor makes

a small incision to operate on the baby.

 

During the surgery on little Samuel, the little guy ( unborn fetus )

reached his tiny, but fully developed, hand through the incision and

firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. The photograph captures this

amazing event with perfect clarity.

 

The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text

explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus

Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the

finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of

life."

 

That picture is graphic reminder that growing in the womb of

his or her mother is a baby. It is not a "glob of tissue,"

or "product of conception." That pre-born baby is a human being with

all the emotions, will and personality of any human being. That

picture says it in a way that a thousand words cannot. Little

Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture.

She said, "The photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability

or illness, it's about a little person." That's what it's always been

about.