Adriana Smith, the brain-dead woman in Georgia who was kept on life support until her baby could be delivered, has been laid to rest.
Smith's family held a funeral for her June 28 in Lithonia, Georgia, less than two weeks after her son Chance arrived prematurely via cesarean section on June 13, according to NBC affiliate WXIA in Atlanta.
Smith, who turned 31 this month, was removed from life support after her son's delivery. The baby, who weighed 1 pound and 13 ounces when he was born, remains in the NICU, WXIA reports.
WXIA shared footage from the funeral services for Smith, who was a nurse and mom to older son Chase.
Community members, family, representatives of the Atlanta Metropolitan Nursing Honor Guard and more attended the service in honor of Smith.
Smith's younger sister, Naya, spoke about the positive influence her late sister had on her.
“I’m thankful for everything that she’s taught me. Her love, her kindness, her wisdom,” she said. “Family meant everything to her. So I hope that I can follow in her footsteps.”
During the service, the nursing guard gave Smith a white rose and recited the "last call of duty" for her while ringing a triangle.
"She served selflessly and gave for the good of others," a member of the Atlanta Metropolitan Nursing Honor Guard said.
Smith was declared brain dead in February, her mother, April Newkirk, told WXIA in May. At around nine weeks pregnant, Smith was hospitalized after her boyfriend found her struggling to breathe, and a CT scan found blood clots in her brain. She was placed on a ventilator and declared brain dead.
Due to Georgia's LIFE Act, which bans abortion after cardiac activity is detected, doctors informed Newkirk that they had to keep her daughter alive until the fetus could be delivered, WXIA reported.
Newkirk previously told WXIA that the experience was “torture” for her. “I see my daughter breathing by the ventilator, but she’s not there,” she said.
After Chance was born, Newkirk told WXIA that the baby is "expected to be OK."
“He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying. He’s here now," Newkirk said in June.
