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 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.
Now see the actual picture, and it is
awesome...incredible....
"Before you were formed in the
womb, I knew you."
