With great sadness, we are asking for your prayers for the repose of the soul of 5 week old baby Susan Ann Torres. She passed away last night after surgery for a perforated intestine. Please include in your prayers a request for the peace and comfort of her family, especially Jason Torres, who has had a very difficult past several months.

On May 7th, 2005, the day before Mothers' Day, Susan M. (Rollin) Torres -- a 26-year-old vaccine researcher at NIH; mother of a two-year-old son, Peter; graduate of the University of Dallas; and parishioner at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia collapsed. She was rushed to the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, where she has been diagnosed with stage four melanoma and is brain dead with no hope of recovery.

Susan was 17 weeks pregnant at the time and although the doctors have given her no hope of survival, they are fighting to keep her unborn child alive until at least July 11 where he or she will have a viable chance at life.

Her family is really starting to show signs of the strain this is causing; mentally, physically and financially. In an effort to escalate the awareness of their situation, and to help raise additional funds, friends of the Torres family have established The Susan M. Torres Fund to help defray the medical costs that insurance does not cover. Current estimates of the costs range from $400,000 to $1,000,000 dollars.

Please help this family by sending a donation. Any amount is appreciated and it is tax deductible. Donations can be sent to:

The Susan M. Torres Fund
c/o Faith and Action
P.O. Box 34105
Washington, D.C. 20043-0105

or online through PayPal:

No longer available.

The Susan M. Torres Fund was created in honor of Susan Torres, who on May 7th, 2005 collapsed. She was rushed to the hospital, was diagnosed with stage four melanoma, and is brain dead with no hope of recovery. Susan was 17 weeks pregnant at the time and although doctors gave her no hope of survival, her family decided to fight to keep her unborn child alive until she could have a viable chance at life.

Inspired by her plight, friends of Susan Torres established The Susan M. Torres Fund in May of 2005, a charitable trust created to provide assistance to Susan and her family.

In June of 2005, the board of trustees for parent non-profit corporation P&R Schenck, Associates in Evangelism, Inc. (AKA Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital) extended its tax-exemption status to the newly created Susan M. Torres Fund. This has allowed donations to the Fund to be tax-deductible under IRS regulations.

Due to the generosity of people worldwide, we have raised in excess of $600,000 as of August 3, 2005. At this time, it is estimated that Susan's health care will cost at least $400,000, after insurance, and the baby's uncovered health care costs are still unknown. Thanks to the generosity of the many donors, the excess money will be used to establish a modest College Savings Plan for her and her brother and the balance donated to a charity dedicated to the prevention or cure of cancer, in memory of Susan Torres.

Susan was a loving wife and mother and the Torres' wish to share some pictures of her and her family with the world.