posted April 27, 2007 11:25 AM         

Read this before seeing the photo below.

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be.

In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the US paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it. 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 his 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.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile. 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."

Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person."

Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

posted April 27, 2007 11:30 AM         

May be the picture of the century. Beautiful!!

posted April 28, 2007 12:39 AM         

Here's the shot from another angle:

And here he is after he was born:

posted April 28, 2007 01:00 AM         

Third time I have seen this in as many weeks- kinda strange for me...

posted April 28, 2007 01:59 AM         

I hve never seen such a miraculous event in my life. Wow

posted April 28, 2007 02:25 AM         

i wonder if they pulled that little hand out or if the hand extended by itself. i somehow feel the baby had some help~ but sheesh what a shot. a miracle!

posted April 28, 2007 04:03 AM         

The episode on House, in which this was incorporated, made me cry, it was so incredibly touching

posted April 28, 2007 03:03 PM         

I haven't seen the picture of the little boy as he is now, CoralFrequency, thanks so much for posting that. It warms my heart so much to see him playing and laughing. Miraclous what medical science can acheive these days. Of course, you know me, giving the credit and thanks to the real Healer who gives us the knowledge and know how. But the doctors and nurses are angels and a true blessing too and deserve credit!!

HSC,

posted April 28, 2007 08:51 PM         

I was told by someone that the picture was a hoax so I checked it out. The following article is what I came across. It does not really take anything away from the miracle of the surgery that was done for Samuel in the womb, but the picture has been used by religions and pro-life groups as a case against abortion and there is a descrepancy in what is attributed to Dr. Bruner having said regarding the event. I kind of wondered about the anesthesia and the effects that might have since what effects the mother also effects the baby in the womb.

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/babysamuel.htm

Picture of a Surgeon Holding Hands With a 21-week Old Fetus-Truth!

Summary of the eRumor
A picture is being circulated that says it is from surgery on a 21-week-old fetus...and the fetus is holding a doctor's hand.


The Truth

According to the mother who had the surgery, Vanderbilt University, where the procedure took place, and he photographer who took the picture, this story is true.

Dr. Joseph Bruner at Vanderbilt is known for his work in fetal surgery, especially on babies with spina bifida, a condition in which the spine does not close properly during development. Vanderbilt confirms that little Samuel Armus was 21 weeks-old in the womb which makes the surgery very risky because if anything goes wrong, the baby cannot survive on its own. Dr. Bruner and his colleagues, however, have done numerous successful spina bifida surgeries on fetuses that are not yet viable. In this particular surgery, the baby's hand poked out of the incision in its mother's womb and Dr. Bruner says he instinctively offered his finger for the baby to hold. Most versions of the story say the baby reached out and grasped Dr. Bruner's finger, but in an article in USA Today on May 2, 2000, Dr. Bruner says both the mother and the baby were under anesthesia and could not move. Michael Clancy, the photographer who took the picture and who owns the copyright to it says, however, that out of the corner of his eye he saw the uterus shake and the baby's hand pop out of the surgical opening on its own. Clancy says that when the doctor put his finger into the baby's hand, the baby squeezed the finger and held on. You can read Clancy's description of the experience and more about the picture at his website at www.michaelclancy.com.

Update: The surgery was successful and little Samuel Armas was born on December 2, 1999, and has been developing well, according to his parents, Alex and Julie Armas.

Hmmmm, since it was at the end of the surgery it is possible that the anesthesia was wearing off or had worn off for the baby. The doctor should know what he is talking about though. And I still don't think it takes anything away from the wonder and awe of this picture.

posted May 02, 2007 02:58 AM         

still quite a miracle.

pidua,

quote:

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In most cases the baby's hand will reach out.

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