Margaret Boemer was just 16 weeks pregnant when doctors gave her heartbreaking news: something was wrong with her baby.
“They told me the baby had a tumor,” Margaret later recalled on her Facebook post.
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| Margaret Hawkins Boemer |
“It was growing near her tailbone, and it was taking away her blood supply.”
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The condition is called sacrococcygeal teratoma—a rare and fast-growing tumor that grows from the baby’s tailbone. It requires complete removal either before or after birth of the baby. But if left untreated, it could stop the baby's heart.
For Margaret and her husband, the choice was painful and urgent.
At first, she was shocked.
Doctors explained that if the tumor kept growing, it could cause heart failure in the womb. The baby’s life was in serious danger.
As the family tried to take it all in, a team from Texas Children’s Hospital stepped in with a bold idea: fetal surgery.
The procedure would involve temporarily taking the baby out of the womb to remove the tumor—then placing her back inside to continue the pregnancy.
“It was a risky procedure,” said Dr. Darrell Cass, the lead surgeon at the hospital.
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“But we believed there was hope.”
At 23 weeks, Margaret was wheeled into the operating room. Surgeons gently opened her womb, and for a short but critical moment, the baby—later named Lynlee—was partially removed from her mother’s body.
“She was so tiny,” one nurse later said. “But she kept fighting.”
The surgery lasted about five hours.
For 20 minutes, Lynlee was technically outside her mother’s body—but not ready to survive in the world.
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The doctors worked quickly to remove the tumor and then carefully placed her back in the womb. Margaret’s uterus was stitched up, and the team hoped for the best.
To everyone’s relief, Lynlee’s heart kept beating.
“It was like watching a miracle,” Cass said.
In the days and weeks that followed, Margaret stayed on bedrest, doing everything she could to protect her baby. Slowly, Lynlee grew stronger.
Against the odds, the pregnancy continued for another 12 weeks.
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Then, at 36 weeks, Margaret gave birth through a planned C-section.
This time, it was real. Lynlee was born again—for the second time.
“She came out crying,” Margaret said. “It was the best sound I’ve ever heard.”
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| Margaret Hawkins Boemer |
Lynlee weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces. She looked like any healthy newborn. After one more surgery to remove any leftover tumor tissue, she made a full recovery.
Today, she’s happy, active, and doing well.
“She’s our little fighter,” Margaret said. “She was born twice,”Margaret said quietly. “And both times, she made it through. I’m just so thankful she’s here.”
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Disclaimer: This story was originally shared by Margaret Hawkins Boemer on Facebook and later reported by various news outlets. The original Facebook post is no longer accessible but the details have been preserved through public reporting. This version has been adapted for clarity. All image credits goes to Margaret Hawkins Boemer, originally shared on Facebook.
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