Tragic young mother, 28, loses battle with cancer after declining treatment to save life of her …
Photo ~ Enrico Petrillo (left) promised to tell his son one day about his mother's act of self-sacrifice
Tragic young mother, 28, loses battle with cancer after declining treatment to save life of her unborn son
A young Italian woman made the ultimate sacrifice when she postponed her cancer treatment to protect the life of her unborn child, which led to her death earlier this month.
At age 28, Chiara Corbella was happily married to Enrico Petrillo, but the couple had suffered the loss of two children, whom they named David and Maria, to birth defects.
In 2010, Miss Corbella became pregnant for the third time, and doctors said this time around, the baby was developing normally, the Catholic News Agency reported.
Tragedy struck when the 28-year-old mother-to-be was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and was advised to begin treatment that would have put the health of the fetus in jeopardy.
Corbella and Petrillo, both Roman Catholics who became pro-life activists after losing their two children, made the heartbreaking decision to delay the treatment for the sake of their unborn son, Francisco.
After a year-long uphill battle with the deadly disease, the young mother died on June 13.
In her last days, Corbella wrote a letter to her son, who is currently about 13 months old, telling him that she is going to heaven to take care of his brother and sister. ‘You stay here with dad. I will pray for you,’ she wrote.
Celebration of life: Hundreds of people gathered on June 16 at the Church of Santa Francisca Romana in Rome for Corbella's funeral Mass
High praise: Cardinal Agostino Vallini likened Corbella to a 20th century saint who sacrificed her life in similar circumstances
