UPDATE ON JUNE 30, 2025: The family of Adriana Smith said her baby boy has arrived after having an emergency c-section at 25weeks. According to her mother, April Newkirk, the infant, named Chance, was born prematurely on Friday, June 13, around 4:41 a.m.

Newkirk said Chance weighs about 1 pound and 13 ounces and is in the NICU.

He’s expected to be OK,” Newkirk said. “He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He’s here now.”

Newkirk is now preparing to say goodbye to her daughter after taking Smith off life support on June 17, 2025.

Prayers Up! Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old mother, was declared brain dead over 90 days ago but is still on life support to save her baby.

Mother Declared Brain Dead But Still On Life Support To Save Her Baby

The family of Adriana Smith, a mother from Atlanta, Georgia, says she was declared brain dead over 90 days ago but remains on life support because she’s pregnant. Georgia law requires her to be kept alive until the baby can survive outside the womb.

Smith, a registered nurse, became seriously ill in early February while nearly nine weeks pregnant. After suffering intense headaches, she sought treatment at a hospital but was sent home without a CT scan.

The next day, Smith’s boyfriend found her struggling to breathe and called 911. She was taken to Emory Decatur and then transferred to Emory University Hospital, where she worked. A CT scan revealed multiple blood clots in her brain. Doctors attempted to relieve the pressure, but were unsuccessful. Smith was declared brain dead.

Her family, including her young son, has remained by her side, who still believes his mom is just sleeping.

“She’s been breathing through machines for more than 90 days,” her mother, April Newkirk, told 11 Alive. “It’s torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but she’s not there. And her son — I bring him to see her.”

Smith was recently moved to Emory Midtown, which is better equipped to care for her pregnancy. Doctors plan to keep her on life support until the fetus reaches 32 weeks — about 11 more weeks from now. Under Georgia’s heartbeat law, abortion is banned once fetal cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks. The law has few exceptions.

Since Adriana is legally brain dead and no longer considered at risk, doctors are required to maintain life support until the fetus is viable. The family says they were not given any choice in the matter. Newkirk, Adriana’s mother says the lack of control has deepened their trauma. Doctors have also warned that the baby may face serious complications, including fluid on the brain and possible long-term disabilities.

“She’s pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he’s born,” Newkirk said. “This decision should’ve been left to us. Now we’re left wondering what kind of life he’ll have — and we’re going to be the ones raising him.” With hospital bills rising and no clear end in sight, the family is holding on — waiting, worrying, and calling for change. “Every day that goes by, it’s more cost, more trauma, more questions,” Newkirk said.

SOCIAL MEDIA REACTS

Though many disagree with Georgia’s abortion law, many social media users respond by praying in the hope that Adriana Smith will be completely raised from death and that her unborn child will be healthy and strong! Check it out HERE

Let’s keep the family in our prayers and believe God for a miracle!