| Story of the
"Fetal Hand Grasp" Photograph....
As a veteran
photojournalist in Nashville, Tennessee, I was hired by
USA Today
newspaper to photograph a spina bifida corrective surgical procedure. It
was to be performed on a twenty-one week old fetus in utero at
Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At that time, in 1999, twenty-one
weeks in utero was the earliest that the surgical team would consider
for surgery. The worst possible outcome would be that the surgery would
cause premature delivery, and no child born earlier than twenty-three
weeks had survived.
The tension could be felt in the operating room as the surgery began.
A typical C-section incision was made to access the uterus, which was
then lifted out and laid at the junction of the mother's thighs. The
entire procedure would take place within the uterus, and no part of the
child was to breach the surgical opening. During the procedure, the
position of the fetus was adjusted by gently manipulating the outside of
the uterus. The entire surgical procedure on the child was completed in
1 hour and thirteen minutes. When it was over, the surgical team
breathed a sigh of relief, as did I.
As a doctor asked me what speed of film I was using, out of the
corner of my eye I saw the uterus shake, but no one's hands were near
it. It was shaking from within. Suddenly, an entire arm thrust out of
the opening, then pulled back until just a little hand was showing. The
doctor reached over and lifted the hand, which reacted and squeezed the
doctor's finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shook the tiny
fist. Samuel held firm. I took the picture! Wow! It happened so fast
that the nurse standing next to me asked, "What happened?" "The child
reached out," I said. "Oh. They do that all the time," she responded.
The surgical opening to the uterus was closed and the uterus was then
put back into the mother and the C-section opening was closed.
It was ten days before I knew if the picture was even in focus. To
ensure no digital manipulation of images before they see them, USA Today
requires that film be submitted unprocessed. When the photo editor
finally phoned me he said, "It's the most incredible picture I've ever
seen."
- Michael Clancy Article reproduced with permission of the author -
Michael Clancy.
www.michaelclancy.com |
