And to honor the courage of Elizabeth Joice, 36, her husband has shared the story of a woman who gave up everything to be a mom, if only for a moment.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Liz - as she was known - was fiercely independent from the get-go, following the death of her mother and subsequent disappearance of her father.
A real estate agent, she had been dating her boyfriend Max for two years when, in September 2010, doctors called to say they had found some suspicious growths in her lungs.
R.I.P.: Doctors told Elizabeth Joice that having a child was impossible following her cancer treatment, however after falling pregnant she pressed ahead, despite all the warning signs. Tragically she died six weeks after giving birth
Described as strong, independent and gracious, Elizabeth Joice passed away on March 9. She was 36
Soul mate: Elizabeth Joice pictured here with her husband, Max, who has chosen to share her incredible story
Liz strapped on her boxing gloves and started punching through the wall of her Upper East Side apartment.
She turned around to find Max standing behind her, and said to him that, should the MRI determine anything 'serious', she was not going to fight.
'If this is going to be bad, I'm not going to do anything,' she recalled in an interview in early 2013.
'I'm just going to cash it all in and go partying and call it a day.'
Max ran into the kitchen and started fumbling around, with Liz thinking: 'This is the worst possible time for you to go and get food.'
But he returned 45 seconds later and got down on bended knee, producing an engagement ring he had fashioned out of tin foil.
'I said, ''You don't have the option not to fight'' and proposed to her then,' Max told The New York Post.
'We got married a month later.'
The precious ring: In an interview last year, Liz Joice shows the engagement ring husband Max made out of tin foil seconds before proposing
Max and Elizabeth Joice were married in New York in 2010
Liz was diagnosed with a Sarcoma.
She endured four rounds of chemotherapy, a surgery and even more chemo to make sure the tumor was eradicated.
She was declared cancer-free for three years but still longed to have a baby, even though doctors strongly advised against it.
Undeterred, the couple moved to Roosevelt Island - a narrow island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens - in June 2013 to prepare to raise a family.
Within days, Liz discovered she was pregnant.
'I totally blew a gasket,' Max told The Post.
'They said there was no chance this was happening — and here it was happening.'
But only a month later, they received the most terrible news: the tumor was back.
Doctors removed the mass with another surgery, but because she was pregnant, Liz couldn't undergo full-body MRI scans, so her oncologist couldn't see whether the cancer was growing.
Her due date was set for March 4, but doctors couldn't wait that long.
In January, a surgeon performed a C-section and Lily Anne Joice was safely brought into the world.
While doctors said it was all-but impossible, Liz and Max fell pregnant
It should have been the happiest time of her life, but Liz's pregnancy was soon met with news that her tumor had reappeared
However Liz's health almost immediately declined as her cancer spread, with tumors invading her right lung, heart and abdomen.
'We said our goodbyes,' Max said.
'It was like something out of a movie. We sat there and cried. We tried to tell stories, talk about all the great things.'
'Liz came home five days after Lily was born,' Max said.
'That one night at home was all we had.'
Liz was so sick she needed to return to hospital, sister-in-law Judith Joice said.
'For the next six weeks, she fought,' Judith said.
'With so much to live for, she fought harder than her doctors had ever seen someone fight, overcoming the odds to spend just one more day with Lily and Max. And another. Then another.
'But the struggle could only last for so long.
'Liz had given it all she had, but could not fight anymore.'
Elizabeth died on March 9.
'Liz had this way about her,' Max said.
'She had this positive energy that made you want to be the best version of yourself. She was intolerant of self-pity.'
Precious: Lily Anne Joice was delivered via C-section in January
Premature: Baby Lily was delivered early so that Liz could continue her cancer treatment
Liz was living a surreal duality, enjoying and celebrating Lily's arrival into the world, while confronting the reality she was incredibly sick
Safe and sound: Lily Anne Joice was born happy and healthy in January
Liz and Max welcome their daughter, Lily
'Liz's magic rubbed off on Lily,' Max said.
'She's beautiful and remarkable. It provides me with the strength to get through this.'
A fundraiser has been set up on website You Caring in order to help the single father and little Lily, with the hopes of getting $50,000.
So far almost $9,000 has already been raised.
A documentary called 40 Weeks, directed by Christopher Henze, will also soon be released about the Joice's journey.
A documentary on the journey of Elizabeth Joice, as well as that of her husband Max and daughter Lily, is currently be finished and prepared for release
No comments:
Post a Comment