In what doctors in Los Angeles are calling a “medical miracle,” a mother gave birth to a baby boy while undergoing surgery to remove a 22-pound ovarian tumor, reports Baltimore Chronicle, with reference to Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Suze Lopez, a nurse from Bakersfield, California, discovered she was pregnant earlier this year after taking a routine pre-surgical pregnancy test before her scheduled operation to remove the large ovarian cyst, which she had been living with for years.
Lopez, 41, told the hospital she had long experienced irregular periods and abdominal discomfort. She described her pregnancy as unexpected and deeply emotional, noting that she had been trying for a second child for 17 years. A few days after sharing the news with her husband Andrew, she experienced severe abdominal pain and arrived at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where Dr. John Ozimek, medical director of Labor and Delivery, began immediate evaluation. Diagnostic imaging revealed a rare abdominal ectopic pregnancy.
Doctors discovered a nearly full-term baby boy located in a small space in the abdomen near Lopez’s liver, with the baby’s buttocks resting on the uterus. Dr. Ozimek emphasized that a pregnancy developing this far outside the uterus is extremely rare. The case astonished the medical team. Dr. Michael Manuel of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center said he had never encountered a pregnancy progressing to this stage outside the uterus.
A multidisciplinary team of approximately 30 specialists—including maternal-fetal medicine experts, gynecologic oncologists, anesthesiologists, and nurses—prepared for the surgery. During the operation, the massive ovarian cyst was carefully moved aside to allow rapid delivery of the baby, who was immediately transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Shortly after delivery, Suze Lopez began hemorrhaging, and anesthesiologist Dr. Michael Sanchez administered 11 units of blood using a specialized rapid transfusion system to stabilize her.
The baby, named Ryu Lopez, weighed 8 pounds and exhibited minimal health issues. Dr. Sara Dayanim noted that a primary concern was whether his lungs would function properly. Within a day, the breathing tube was removed, and over the following two weeks, Ryu met all critical developmental milestones in the NICU, defying expectations. Lopez focused on her recovery to reunite with her newborn, acknowledging nurse Carmen Chavez for her continuous care.
Andrew Lopez described Ryu as “our gift” and emphasized the miraculous nature of the birth. Suze Lopez expressed gratitude for the outcome, saying the experience reaffirmed her belief in modern-day miracles and the power of faith.
Ectopic pregnancies, which occur outside the uterus, are typically nonviable and can endanger the mother, as the blood supply at these sites is usually insufficient to support fetal development. Most ectopic pregnancies result in spontaneous termination. Abdominal ectopic pregnancies are exceptionally rare cases in which the fetus may survive to term, though they carry significant risks for both mother and child. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, ruptured ectopic pregnancies account for 2.7% of pregnancy-related deaths.
Earlier we wrote that 6-year-old girl dies in go-kart accident at Florida trampoline adventure park.
