Baby born to woman killed in DUI accident honors mother's memory in viral photos
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Grab the tissues — you’re going to need them.
Photos of an infant born via emergency C-section to a woman who was killed by an allegedly impaired driver recently went viral on Facebook, in a heartbreaking cry against driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Yesenia Aguilar died after being hit by a driver suspected to be under the influence on Aug. 11 in Anaheim, Calif. The 23-year-old, who was 35 weeks pregnant, was walking on a sidewalk and holding hands with husband James Alvarez when a driver suspected to be under the influence of drugs jumped the curb, striking and killing her, according to Fox 11.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Yesenia Aguilar was killed by an allegedly impaired driver on Aug. 11; her unborn daughter Adalyn Rose was born via emergency C-section. (Grisel Leyva/X&V Photography)
She was rushed to the hospital, but Aguilar passed away that day. Doctors were able to deliver her daughter via emergency C-section, although the infant was in critical condition from the trauma of the accident.
Baby Adalyn Rose “defied all odds,” however, and left the NICU three weeks later, according to the news station.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"She’s such a blessing and makes me forget all of the pain that I go through — the suffering and sadness," Alvarez told Fox 11 of his miracle daughter.
Last week, photographer Grisel Leyva of X&V Photography shared emotional photos from a recent portrait session with the newborn, which have since gone viral with over 29,000 shares.
"DON'T DRIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE," the photographer wrote over and over.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"She’s such a blessing and makes me forget all of the pain that I go through - the suffering and sadness," said father James Alvarez of his miracle daughter. (Grisel Leyva/X&V Photography)
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In the series of pictures, a sleeping baby Adalyn posed with her late mother’s wedding veil, favorite flowers, and a photo of her then-expecting mother.
“I hope people see her sweet little face and really think before they do something stupid and break families apart,” Leyva said of the session.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A GoFundMe for the family has raised over $119,000 for medical bills and Aguilar’s funeral expenses.
Suspected DUI driver Courtney Pandolfi pleaded not guilty to murder last month, according to ABC 7. The woman had previously been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs in 2008, in 2015, and in 2016, according to a statement from the Orange County district attorney’s office.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pandolfi’s bail is set at $3 million, with a hearing set for December, according to Fox 11.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.