[deezelpope]

BY JEREMY OLSON
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 06/25/2007 04:00:12 PM CDT


Four of the six Morrison babies born June 10 in Minneapolis have died, according to a statement released today by Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

Cadence Morrison died Saturday. Three of her brothers, Tryg, Bennet and Lincoln, died within one week of their birth. The remaining two children - one boy and one girl - remain in critical condition at Children's in Minneapolis.

"Though our difficult time continues, our faith remains strong," said parents Ryan and Brianna Morrison in the statement. "Our families, friends, and churches have provided us with great comfort, for which we are deeply grateful."

The sextuplets were born at 22 weeks, which is considered an extreme limit of viability. Their birthweights ranged from 11 ounces to 1.3 pounds. Health officials believe the Morrison babies were the first sextuplets to all survive birth in Minnesota.

There are roughly a dozen sets of sextuplets to survive infancy in U.S. history. The Masche sextuplets, who were born in Arizona within 12 hours of the Morrison children, remain stable.

Brianna Morrison, 24, had taken fertility drugs for the pregnancy. The Morrisons decided against selective reduction, a procedure that would have eliminated some of the fetuses in the womb but improved the odds of survival for the remaining ones. On their web site, www.morrison6.com, the couple wrote how reduction would have interrupted whatever plan God had designed for the family.


The Morrison's struggle has gained worldwide attention. Nearly 200,000 people have visited their web site.

"I just wanted to say that I am praying with all my heart," said one writer on the site. "I check this site regularly 2 or more times a day praying to see that things are improving. I can't imagine what you both are going through."

Jeremy Olson can be reached at jolson@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5583