Faith, Well-Wishers Sustained Family of Brain-Dead Woman

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 3, 2005 — -- On a day of extreme joy and sadness, the Torres family says it was their faith that pulled them through.

Less than 24 hours after the Torres family welcomed tiny Susan Anne Catherine Torres into their family, they said goodbye to the newborn baby's mother.

Susan Rollin Torres, 26, had been brain dead and on life support for the past three months. The Torres family kept her alive so the baby in her womb might live. The infant -- born nearly three months premature but healthy -- was delivered Tuesday. Jason Torres ended his wife's life support today at Virginia Hospital Center, where she had been cared for over the past several months.

"This is obviously a bittersweet time for our family," said Jason's brother, Justin Torres. "We are thrilled by the baby but this is a very difficult day."

Justin was somber but hopeful today as he spoke for the family with a panel of doctors from the Virginia Hospital Center. He said the family was drawing strength from cards of support, prayers, and their Catholic faith.

"I couldn't imagine going through something like this without believing in prayer," Justin said. "From the beginning, we knew that two things would get us through to the baby's birth: God's providence and Susan's determination."

Smiles Over a Strong-Kicking New Baby

When asked what he would tell his niece about her mother, Jason smiled and said, "One doesn't want to invest the poor kid with too many expectations, but I would tell her that her mother was one of the toughest human beings I ever met."

The baby girl was named after her mother, Justin said. He joked about how the infant's father avoided discussing the newborn's name with the journalists who have followed the family's saga for months. "[He] kept that a secret from everyone until after the baby was born. Mostly to fake all of you guys out," Justin told reporters.

One doctor who helped care for baby Susan after her birth couldn't hide her smile while talking about the 1-day-old girl.

"She doesn't like her feet being touched," Dr. Donna Tilden-Archer said. "She almost knocked the IV out of my hand when I was trying to put it near her foot."

Baby Susan packs quite a kick for her size. She's only 1 lb., 13 oz. and 13 ½ inches long -- about the length of a "size 12 shoe," as Tilden-Archer put it. But the first thing Jason noticed about his daughter was, "Boy, she's got long feet."

"She is a miracle to us," Justin said about his newborn niece. "Definitely."

Tilden-Archer said she had seen Jason checking on his baby repeatedly through the night. The family said they thought he was finally getting some sleep today.

"What's next?" Justin Torres, responded to reporters' questions, "We literally have had such a busy couple of days and couple of weeks that I don't think anybody's given any thought to what's next," he said. "I know that Jason plans to be here pretty regularly and through the time that we get to take this baby home."

He also talked about what he wants to tell his niece when she's older.

"I would also tell [her] one day, maybe a long time from now, that 'Gosh, you do not know, you cannot tell how many people have fought for you ... So go out and do good things.' "

--Sary Stefanki contributed to this report.