The Texas mom who induced labor so her dying husband could hold their baby
Two weeks before his baby daughter was due, Mark Aulger found out he had mere days to live. His loving wife made sure father and daughter got to meet

It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood tear-jerker, but the story is all too true for a Dallas-area family. Mark Aulger, 52, was hospitalized with complications from colon cancer. His wife, Diane, 31, was two weeks away from delivering their fifth child. When the doctors told the Aulgers that Mark had only five or six days to live, "Mark said, 'I'd like to see the baby,'" Diane told the Associated Press. So the doctors induced pregnancy. Here's their story:
Was the baby born in time?
Yes. The hospital modified a large labor and delivery room so that Mark could be there for the birth, with the couple in side-by-side hospital beds. Savannah Aulger was born Jan. 18, and Mark was the first one to hold her. He was having a relatively good day, health-wise, and he cradled his baby daughter for 45 minutes. He "cried, and he just looked very sad," says Diane. Mark slipped into a coma Jan. 21. He died two days later.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What did Mark die from?
Pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which the lungs are so scarred and thickened that you can't breathe. In this case, it was apparently a side effect of the chemotherapy Mark received to treat his colon cancer, diagnosed just last April. If this story "hasn't gotten you sufficiently teary already," says Cassie Murdoch at Jezebel, "as of this Christmas, Mark thought he'd beaten the cancer." Home movies show the happy family — Mark, Diane, and their four kids (the two oldest are Diane's from an earlier relationship) — unwrapping presents to the Christmas soundtrack of Mark's guitar-playing.
When did things take a turn for the worse?
On Jan. 3, Mark couldn't breathe on his own and was rushed to the hospital. When the pulmonary fibrosis was diagnosed, "We thought he could get on steroid treatment and oxygen and live for years," Diane told ABC News. Then, on Jan. 16, the doctors delivered the bad news. After he slipped into a coma, Mark would still "shake his head and moan" when Savannah cried, his wife said. "I put her on him when he was in the coma a few times and his hand would move toward her."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
How is the family pulling through?
Diane says she's received a lot of positive support. And she plans to keep Mark's memory alive by talking about him and plastering his photo around the house. "We're living day-to-day as if dad's still here," she told the AP. "We know dad is here with us. They talk to dad. Mark was a very funny, funny dad."
Sources: ABC News, AP, Imperfect Parent, Jezebel, The Stir
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published