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time to develop gave birth to a baby girl Tuesday, the woman's brother-in-law said.

There were no complications during delivery and the baby "is doing well," Justin Torres

wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. The baby, Susan Anne Catherine Torres, weighs

one pound 13 ounces and is 13 1/2 inches long, he said.

Susan Torres, a 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health, lost consciousness

from a stroke May 7 after aggressive melanoma spread to her brain. Her husband, Jason Torres,

said doctors told him his wife's brain functions had stopped.

Jason Torres quit his job to be by his wife's side, and last month her fetus passed the 24th week

of development _ the earliest point at which doctors felt the baby would have a reasonable chance

to survive, the brother-in-law said.

A Web site to help raise money for the family's mounting medical bills had received about $400,000

in donations from around the world as of two weeks ago, Justin Torres said. The family said it must

pay tens of thousands of dollars each week that insurance does not cover.

Doctors had hoped to hold off on delivering the child until 32 weeks' gestation. A full-term pregnancy is about 40 weeks.

The infant is being monitored in the Neonatal Intensive Care at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington,

about 100 miles north of Richmond.

Telephone messages left for the brother-in-law and a hospital spokeswoman were not immediately returned.

Since 1979, there have been at least a dozen similar cases published in English medical literature, said

Dr. Winston Campbell, director of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center,

which conducted research on the topic.

parishioner at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia collapsed.

She was rushed to the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, where

child alive until at least July 11 where he or she will have a viable chance

mentally, physically and financially. In an effort to escalate the awareness

of their situation, and to help raise additional funds, friends of the Torres

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

RICHMOND, Va. (July 20) -- A brain-dead pregnant woman on life support has reached the

milestone in her pregnancy where doctors believe the baby could realistically survive outside

Susan Torres, 26, lost consciousness from a stroke May 7 after aggressive melanoma spread

to her brain. Her husband, Jason Torres, said doctors told him his wife's brain functions had stopped.

Her fetus recently passed the 24th week of development - the earliest point at which doctors

felt the baby would have a reasonable chance to survive, her brother-in-law said.

''The situation is pretty stable,'' said Justin Torres, who is serving as the family's spokesman.

''Susan, we have said from the beginning, is the toughest person in that ICU room.''

He said the family is ''as certain within the limits of sonogram technology'' that the baby is a

girl. ''Cecilia'' was one possible name the couple had discussed, Justin Torres said.

A Web site was set up to help raise money for the family's mounting medical bills, and they have

now received about $400,000 in donations, Torres said. Jason Torres quit his job as a printing

salesman to be by his wife's side and the family must pay tens of thousands of dollars each

Donations have poured in from around the world:

Germany

Britain

Ireland

Japan

- even a

check with no note from a soldier in

Iraq

. On Monday, the family received a hand-knit baby

blanket from a woman in Pennsylvania who was on a tight income but wanted to do something

Jason Torres spends every night sleeping in a reclining chair next to his wife's bed at Virginia

Hospital Center in Arlington, about 100 miles north of Richmond. The hospital has declined to

The couple's 2-year-old son, Peter, is staying with grandparents. He has not seen his mother,

If possible, the doctors hope to hold off on delivering the child until 32 weeks' gestation, Justin

The melanoma has spread to her lymph nodes and taken over her vital organs, but they continue

to function. There is a chance the cancer could spread to the placenta, but so far it has been

spared, Justin Torres said. Extra precautions, including limiting the number of visitors, have

Doctors have held off on giving the family a prognosis because the situation is so rare, said

Torres, who believes his sister-in-law will likely hang on for a few more weeks.

Since 1979, there have been at least a dozen similar cases published in English medical

literature, said Dr. Winston Campbell, director of maternal-fetal medicine at the University of

Aside from the tubes and machines she is hooked up to, the tall and athletic Torres looks remarkably

''She would have wanted us to fight for this baby - there's no doubt in our minds,'' Justin Torres said.

The family received an unexpected sliver of joy on June 21, when Jason Torres felt his child kick for

''It was a very, very nice reminder of what this is all about, and very heartening to us to know that we're

making progress and that we're getting closer and closer,'' the brother-in-law said. ''That was a very