Richmond mother mourned after dying giving birth to twins

Victor Yu released a tearful video online on Monday thanking everyone who had already stepped forward to support him and his family, after the sudden death of his wife, Wei Liu, 37, during the birth of their twins at Richmond Hospital.

"I'm very thankful for everyone's loving donations and warm wishes during this awful family tragedy," said Yu in Mandarin.

"For me, it's a bright light in a dark night. It's given me the courage and strength to face it."

Liu died early Sunday morning and the infant twins are in stable condition, according to David Shao, a close friend of Yu's who spoke to CBC News on behalf of the family.

Shao said he learned of the tragedy first thing when he woke up Sunday morning.

"[I was] sad, like, all in tears. Me and my friends, we all called each other, and during the phone calls, actually we cried," he said.

Shao said he and other friends had been rejoicing the night before when they heard Liu was heading to to the delivery room, as they had no reason to worry that the birth of the twins — both girls — might not go well.

'Extremely rare'

Carrie Stefanson, public affairs leader with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), couldn't say much about the incident, due to the policy around patient privacy. But Stefanson confirmed a death occurred early Sunday during childbirth. 

"This is a horrific event, and our hearts go out to the family for their loss," she said. "Death during childbirth is extremely rare, especially in pregnancies that have progressed relatively normally."

She said this is the first death during childbirth that VCH has seen in at least two-and-a-half years.

According to the B.C. Coroners Service, there were 18 natural deaths associated with childbirth in the province in the five year period between 2012-2016, including during pregnancy and postpartum (within three months of childbirth). That equals an average of about 3.5 deaths each year.

Stefanson said that at one point, 35 staff members from Richmond Hospital were working to save Liu's life, including an anesthesiologist, an obstetrical specialist, vascular surgeons and the intensive care unit.

She said it's unclear exactly what caused Liu's death, and that the coroner is reviewing the case. Stefanson said VCH is conducting its own critical incident review of the incident.

Friends raising funds

Shao said Yu's five-year-old son was initially kept in the dark about the tragedy. 

"He was keep asking why he couldn't see the mom. I think he knows now," said Shao. "We don't know what to do, but we want to protect the child."

Shao said Liu's parents are in B.C., but Yu's parents are still trying to get to the province from China.

Her friends have started contributing donations to help the family, and they're trying to arrange support like housework. Shao said. In the next couple days, they will try to get a fundraiser set up online.

Yu said in his video, "so much is going on and the children are still so young. I ask everyone to please give me some privacy and time."

With translation by Steve Zhang

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