If you haven’t watched this video already, disclaimer: grab a tissue. This one really pulls at the heartstrings as a father sings to his newborn child, as he fights for his life. Just a few days before, Chris Picco’s wife passed away in her sleep after giving birth to their son, Lennon Picco. Lennon was delivered during an emergency cesarean with many complications.
Chris posted this video, and the online community stood by him. A fundraising page started to support him and he shared his sentiments about the situation:
“It’s impossible to sum up what has happened in the last couple of days,” he wrote. “My wife, best friend and mother of my child passed away. I have a lifetime to grieve this unspeakable loss, but I know that right now she would want me to focus completely on baby Lennon James Picco, who survived by an emergency C-section.”
Baby Lennon died just a few days later.
This tragic story is one that should never have to be told. Unfortunately, maternal health and childbirth is an extreme concern on a global scale. If we take a trip around the world, we see stories like this one are way too common, particularly in developing nations.
The maternal mortality rate is 14 times higher in the the developing world than it is in the developed regions. Although the rate has fallen 45% since 1990, only half of the women in developing countries receive the level of health care they need.
The UNDP highlighted another story from the African country, Eritrea. Fethawi Behane is a woman who gave birth to a child, that like Lennon Picco, was lost to the complications of childbirth. Although Fethawi survived, it was a wonder that she did in the unhygienic and poorly equipped medical environment where she had to give birth.
In fact, Eritrea is one of the countries of highest concern when it comes to maternal health. 80 percent of deliveries there occur without a physician or trained midwife. But there is some good news. Even though Eritrea’s maternal mortality rate was once the highest in the world, with 1,400 deaths per 100,000 births, it is on track to achieve Millenium Development Goal 5 and reduce that rate by three quarters.
When it comes to maternal health, there are always unforeseen risks. In the Picco’s case it lead to an emergency C-section, and unfortunately resulted in the death of a mother and child. There are many regions in the world where these risks increase because women do not have access to proper health care or medical physicians. There are too many preventable deaths that occur in the developing region due to poor maternal health. This is why it’s important for countries to stay on track with the Millenium Development Goals and reduce the maternal mortality ratio around the world by three quarters.
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Alex Vinci