Funeral for brain-dead woman kept alive due to abortion law held Saturday in Georgia
The funeral took place at Fairfield Baptist Church in Lithonia, WXIA reported, and drew a crowd that included a number of Smith's fellow nurses and other members of the public.
Adriana Smith, who had just turned 31, was declared brain-dead in February after a CT scan found multiple blood clots in her brain, her mother, April Newkirk, told WXIA earlier this year.
She was nine weeks pregnant when her boyfriend rushed her to the hospital after he woke up to find her gasping for air and making what he described as gargling noises, Newkirk told WXIA.
Because of Georgia's strict abortion law — known as the LIFE Act — which makes abortion illegal after six weeks of pregnancy — Smith was kept alive until her child could be born and survive on his own, according to WXIA.
The baby was born prematurely on June 13, weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces, Newkirk told WXIA at the time.
WXIA reported Saturday that Smith was taken off life support days after her son, Chance, was born. The baby is still in the neonatal intensive care unit.
"He's expected to be OK," Newkirk told the station earlier this month. "He's just fighting."
Smith also has an older son, Chase.
Smith's funeral Saturday drew family, friends, community members and peers who wanted to honor her life.
The Atlanta Metropolitan Nursing Honor Guard performed a tribute to relieve Smith of her duties as a nurse, WXIA reported, and many who attended the funeral carried white roses.
"I'm thankful for everything that she's taught me — her love, her kindness, her wisdom," Smith's younger sister, Naya, said, according to WXIA. "Family meant everything to her. So I hope that I can follow in her footsteps."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I got scared when I googled it' – Michael Smith diagnosed with 'severe' condition
Michael Smith has fallen to 21st in the rankings after struggling with a series of health problems, but the 34-year-old ex-world champion is determined to return to the top Darts star Michael Smith has revealed the extent of his health problems after tumbling down the rankings. Smith beat Michael van Gerwen to win the World Championship in 2023 but is now ranked 21st in the world. The 34-year-old has been absent from recent competitions due to a variety of health problems, including issues with his shoulder, wrist and foot, which he has now opened up on. Bully Boy has been diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis in his shoulder and believes his body is 'just packing up'. While he is confident of returning to the oche at the highest level, with injections an option, he thinks surgery may be necessary further down the line. "I got my MRI back for my shoulder. I've got severe osteoarthritis or something like that—I can't even say it properly,' he told Online Darts. 'The next step now is injections for my shoulder and wrist. "Worst case is a shoulder replacement, which isn't great, but that would only be when I retire. For now, it's injections. A new shoulder would be like learning to play again. I got scared when I googled it. "I just heard arthritis, but then all the stuff before it scared me. They mentioned cortisone for my wrist, PRP which I need too, and then shoulder replacement where they cut your rotator cuff. That's where I panicked. But the operation won't be until I retire anyway – 45, 46 maybe. For now, I'll just deal with it.' Smith previously struggled with serious pain in his foot, which still remains without a proper diagnosis. 'Before the last Pro Tour, I struggled to walk on my left foot. At first I thought it was gout,' he added. 'But it went on for weeks and my foot swelled like a balloon. 'I've had blood tests, x-rays, antibiotics, painkillers – they're even talking about steroids now. It might be arthritis in my foot as well. My body's just packing up.' Smith has been a constant at the top of darts for some time, but recently missed out on qualification to the World Matchplay for the first time since 2013. In his last match he was beaten in the first round of the Players Championship 21 by Krzysztof Ratajski and says his health issues hampered him. 'It's not nice slipping down the rankings, but I've had a couple of semis on the floor and a UK Open semi-final this year. Still, it's not where I want to be,' he said. 'It's consistency that's missing. I'm not blaming my shoulder – it's my head. I go into matches thinking, 'I hope my shoulder doesn't click or my wrist doesn't give out.' They're fine, but it's me worrying. That's the real issue.'
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘I got scared when I Googled it' – Former world darts champion Michael Smith fears he needs major surgery
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WALKING WOUNDED Michael Smith reckons he will need a new shoulder when he finishes throwing darts because his body is 'literally packing up'. The St Helens darts star – who has slumped to 21 spot in the world rankings – is in constant pain and a fortnight ago, he was told by medics he has severe osteoarthritis in his shoulder. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Michael Smith may need shoulder replacement surgery Credit: Getty Smith, 34, earned the title of World Champion back in 2023 after beating Michael van Gerwen in the final. Since then, he has struggled to stay at the top of the darts world due to the emergence of Luke Humphries and Luke Littler. However, the former champ is set to continue his career with the help of injections. Due to his condition, he will be left potentially needing surgery after he retires from darts. When the father-of-two went online for more information and googled the condition, he admits he got 'scared' by the diagnosis and the long-term implications. Bully Boy could ultimately require a shoulder replacement by the time he is in his mid-forties. Separate from these challenges, he has struggled to walk properly on his left foot – he has taken antibiotics and painkillers to curb the agony – and a course of steroids might be on the agenda. He told Online Darts: "I went on holiday, so it was the third one I missed. "I got my MRI back for my shoulder. I've got severe osteoarthritis or something like that—I can't even say it properly. "The next step now is injections for my shoulder and wrist. Moment Michael Smith BREAKS dartboard in anger as he issues public apology "Worst case is a shoulder replacement, which isn't great, but that would only be when I retire. For now, it's injections. "A new shoulder would be like learning to play again. I got scared when I Googled it. "I just heard arthritis, but then all the stuff before it scared me. "They mentioned cortisone for my wrist, PRP which I need too, and then shoulder replacement where they cut your rotator cuff. 2 He will continue playing on with injections Credit: Getty "That's where I panicked. But the operation won't be until I retire anyway—45, 46 maybe. For now, I'll just deal with it. Smith does not currently have a next match scheduled. He recently missed out on qualification to the World Matchplay for the first time since 2013. His last time at the oche ended in defeat as he was beaten in the first round of the Players Championship 21 by Polish ace Krzysztof Ratajski. When Smith won the world title after years of heartbreak – he beat Michael van Gerwen 7-4 in the final and hit a nine-darter – he celebrated throughout the following season, and even had a wild holiday in Las Vegas with his wife. However, his second-round defeat in December 2024 to Dutchman Kevin Doets meant he dropped £485,000 off his rankings, denying him a spot in some TV events. Smith has essentially written off the rest of this year in terms of performances but he is determined to return to form at the PDC World Darts Championship – where there is £1million on the line for the winner. On September 20, he will undergo eye laser surgery, which will mean skipping some European Tour events. He added: "This is not going to stop me. I'll be back. I don't know anything else but to play darts and to fight. "I'm a Manchester United fan. Like them, I'm a sleeping giant. I will wake up one day. "At home, when I'm practising, I'm in a good place. I feel right. Then I go to Pro Tours and just one bad game, in your head, it just goes back to square one. "My main issue now is getting everything right for December. Listen, if I win five games in the Worlds, I'm back in the top ten, it's like 200 grand. "Everyone will forget my year then. If I want to win it, which I know I've done before – I've been in the final three times – I could be back in the top three or top four. Never say never. "For me, I know I'll be back up there. It's the idiocy of when you see people's comments online. "I managed my schedule poorly when I became World Champion. I didn't do the full year as much as I should. "I just concentrated more on TV. It bit me in the a*** for the next two years."
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Scunthorpe General Hospital patient died after power cut during surgery
A patient died following a "sudden failure of electrical power" during heart surgery, a coroner's report has Dye, 77, was undergoing a procedure at Scunthorpe General Hospital on 7 September to treat cardiac disease when the outage, which lasted 10 minutes, inquest into her death found it was likely she would have survived but for the loss of Lincolnshire senior coroner Paul Smith sent a Prevention of Future Deaths (POFD) report to NHS England, which the BBC has approached for comment. Ms Dye died as a result of a tear in the iatrogenic artery, the inquest into her death was loss of power happened when medical staff were about to deploy cardiac stents, with a "limited opportunity to provide the necessary remedial treatment", the inquest Emergency Power Off (EPO) circuit was then activated, which overrode the back up electrical supply and staff had to wait for an engineer to reset the circuit before gaining power was regained after 10 minutes when the stenting procedure was then complete but Mrs Dye failed to recover and was confirmed clear cause for the loss of power was identified, the inquest found. 'Critical factor' In his report, Mr Smith said: "Had staff been aware of the exact cause of the loss of power on this occasion and had they had the opportunity to reset the circuit without the need to await the arrival of an engineer, who in turn had to attend a separate plant room, the downtime would likely have been significantly reduced."The coroner noted that "the delay whilst power was restored was a critical factor in this death".The report has been sent to NHS England "inviting a review" into the guidance in relation to operating Emergency Power Off (EPO) circuit controls. Mr Smith also asked if there was a need for any consequential said he had "received evidence of a small number of accidental activations of EPO circuits nationally over a 12-month period"."It is plainly something which can, and does, occur," Mr Smith gave NHS England until 28 August to respond to the report with a "timetable for action". Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
