Couple together, couple photos. Upon learning that her husband had at most one week left to live, Diana Ogle decided to deliver their baby early so he could hold their daughter before passing away. The daughter lay in her father's arms, and they took their first and last photo together.
Unexpected Arrival
Mark Ogle was 52 years old and lived in Colony, Texas with his 31-year-old wife Diana. They already had four children and were expecting their fifth this year. Last Christmas Eve, the doctor informed Ogle that he had beaten cancer. The family celebrated Christmas joyfully; Ogle played the guitar and sang songs while Diana handed out gifts to their four children.
However, on January 3rd this year, Ogle experienced difficulty breathing and was hospitalized. The doctors discovered that eight months of chemotherapy had destroyed his lungs. The diagnosis showed that Ogle’s lungs had become fibrotic. Diana told an ABC News reporter: “At the time, we thought if he received steroid treatment and oxygen therapy, he could live for a few more years.” On January 16th, Diana learned that such treatments would not work, and her husband only had a week left to live.
Only One Photo Together
“He was still conscious then, so I didn’t believe what the doctors said at first,” Diana recalled. “The next day, his doctor walked into the room and asked, ‘When do you plan to give birth?’”
Even though it was two weeks before her due date, Diana decided to deliver immediately.
On January 18th, Diana underwent induction and gave birth to their daughter Savannah. During the delivery, Ogle lay on the bed beside mother and daughter.
After the child was born, Ogle, lying in bed with an oxygen mask on, held his daughter in his arms and looked at her. His wife lay on one side, and their four other children stood on the other side, looking at the new family member. This was Ogle's first and last photo with his daughter. Diana recalled: “He held her for 45 minutes. Both of us cried nonstop.”
The next day, Ogle wanted to hold his daughter again but could only manage for a minute before becoming too weak. “He was just too weak,” she said. That day, Ogle fell into a coma.
“Ten-year-old son asked me, 'Is daddy sleeping?' I replied, 'No, daddy is in a coma.'”
“He then asked, 'Will daddy die?' I said, 'Yes,' and he screamed. Eight-year-old daughter also began crying and shouting, 'I don't have a dad anymore.'"
The Final Embrace
“When she cried, he would shake his head and sob,” Diana recalled. “Every time he fell into a coma, I placed her on him, and his hand would reach out to her.”
On January 23rd, surrounded by family, Ogle passed away in his hospital bed holding his daughter.
“His heartbeat slowed down, and his breathing became weaker. I placed her in his arms, holding his hand until the very end.”
“I was pregnant when he used to talk to my belly. He couldn't wait to meet his daughter... For Savannah, he would have been an incredible father.” “Savannah has cast a ray of light on our sorrow.”
By Hui Xiaoshuang (Special contribution to our newspaper from Xinhua)
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