Diane Aulger Receives Huge Donations From Strangers After Inducing Labor For Dying Husband

Mark Aulger was able to hold his daughter for the first 45 minutes of her life. It was bittersweet, as he tragically died five days later, according to the Associated Press.

The Aulger family had found out that Mark's time was running out just days prior. Diane Aulger, wanting her newborn daughter to meet her father, induced labor so Savannah could meet him, numerous sources reported.

The Texas mother of four has now experienced an unprecedented outpour of generosity.

Thousands of dollars, countless cards, and an endless amount of baby supplies have filled the Aulger's living room -- including one donation big enough to buy a minivan for transporting the growing family, WFAA.com reports.

Still coping with the loss of her husband and the birth of her daughter, Aulger told the news source the donations have left her overwhelmed and grateful.

"I've received some other cards from perfect strangers with, you know, $100 or $200, and that was shocking enough," Augler said. "But enough money to get myself a minivan was -- I'm shocked still."

Donations to help the Aulger family can be made at any Wells Fargo bank under the Diane Aulger Fund.

CORRECTION: This post originally stated Mark Aulger died 45 minutes after Diane Aulger induced labor. In fact, Mark held his baby for 45 minutes but died five days later. HuffPost sincerely regrets the error.

Below are photos of the Aulger family the day of Savannah's birth:

Comments

[Sandra Lindsay]

03:52 PM on 02/27/2012

this story makes me want to bawl my eyes out! the circumstances of him beating cancer and then dying from what the treatment did to his lungs is just so sad. I wish them all the best.

[australiagurl14]

10:47 AM on 02/23/2012

I commend this woman for being so strong and to sacrifice what she did so her dying husband could see his child. It was a brave gesture. It also gives me alot of hope to see America providing so much support for her. I wish I could contribute because it is truly a touching story. I hope her child grows up to know how great of a husband and father the dad was.

[stalcom]

04:08 AM on 02/23/2012

Is this society so far gone that people who read about a grieving mother who receives generous donations from total strangers after the loss of her husband to illness and see a leecher who doesn't deserve donations because she is playing the sympathy card for her poor decisions?

[Youdontgetit]

06:09 PM on 02/22/2012

And you loving government is wondering how much she has received so they can now tax her on it.

[nanaofmysky]

10:21 AM on 02/22/2012

Reading some of the posts, I cann't believe how cold people are. This woman just lost her husband and gave birth. She is not going to have an easy time of it.It is hearwarming that people want to help her out. These things are not foreseen. People have some compasion. Wishing her all the best.

[Aldyth]

05:21 PM on 02/21/2012

Tragedy and joy. Many blessings to this family.

[kivain71]

09:05 AM on 02/21/2012

The woman in the picture with the baby does not look like she is living high on the hog. The home is very clean looking, which is no small feat for a grieving widow with children and a newborn, but the furniture looks like what is typically found in my local Goodwill. She was photographed next to her dying husband in a flannel robe that looks like the ones I see at Walmart. He looks like he is wearing a trucker's cap on his deathbed. She bought a minivan with the donated money and she is obviously very grateful for even the smaller donations. She certainly does not look like the donations are going on manicures and trips to the tanning salon. She seems to be a decent person of limited financial means (like most Americans these days) who is spending what she was given very wisely.

I think our wasteful government could learn a thing or two from this heroic young widow.
If someone has a problem with people helping her, they would have a problem with anyone getting help in any circumstances. And, if that is the case, no one is asking them to donate anyway!

[dems08]

05:45 AM on 02/20/2012

My husband died 2 years before his first grandchild, a girl, was born.

He would have loved her so much.

[Aldyth]

05:19 PM on 02/21/2012

He knows and he does.

[dems08]

05:38 AM on 02/20/2012

I can only imagine the sadness his wife and kids are feeling.

[shrimperdan]

08:45 PM on 02/19/2012

Perhaps their story was not shared in hopes of donations. It is nice to see that there are generous people out there who were moved by this story.
To those of you who don't think that they should receive any assistance or support...well...then don't offer it. Whatever we do for others should come from the heart. If it not in your heart...okay...but do you have to be so snarky about it?

[misslege]

02:24 PM on 02/19/2012

Ok so some of you don't think they deserve the donations then DON'T donate. But don't judge these people for how many children they have. You don't know their lives.

[RoxyNunu]

02:50 AM on 02/19/2012

I think the father dying is sad and unfortunate, especially his timing with the birth of his child. However, I don't feel the need to donate anything to them. People with children die everyday. With three other children, I'm pretty sure she knows the expense of having kids and it's not like her husband became sick overnight. I think this version of the story is made to be more sad than the version AP gives at the link below. For example, AP's version states she was only induced two weeks early and was already having prelabor symptoms and the husband died five days later.
Check out:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/induced-labor-lets-dying-texas-man-daughter-15569451#.Tz65tExSShA

[WWJJD]

11:22 PM on 02/19/2012

Wow, nice heart you have there. Hope nothing bad happens to you. You either don't have children or just don't get it.

[RoxyNunu]

09:28 PM on 02/21/2012

Thanks. And believe it or not, I do have a very nice heart and I hope nothing bad happens to you too. But in life bad things will happen, it's inevitable. While this story is sad because the dad died, it's not something that I consider a catastrophic.

[runswithscissors]

09:21 AM on 02/20/2012

No one is asking you to donate anything! Unbelievable...

[RoxyNunu]

09:15 PM on 02/21/2012

I didn't say anyone did. There's people who feel the same way I feel and there's some people who don't. I don't think there's anything wrong with stating my opinion. This is life and there's awful things that happen everyday, whether you want them to or not.

[AKRealist]

01:46 AM on 02/19/2012

It's sad but people have to be responsible. If you can't work to support the kids you already have; you don't keep having kids.

[RoxyNunu]

02:51 AM on 02/19/2012

Agreed.

[meganmarieborn]

04:48 AM on 02/19/2012

I know. It is sad, but people go through things every day and you shouldn't play the sympathy card for your poor decisions.

[WWJJD]

11:23 PM on 02/19/2012

WHAT! WHAT! Play the sympathy card for POOR DECISIONS? Her husband had COLON CANCER you mean little snot!

[El Justiciero]

09:41 AM on 02/20/2012

What a repulsive viewpoint.

[collectsrocks]

02:43 PM on 02/18/2012

The pic of the entire family joined together at the hospital is so moving. A big thank you to those who have given to the family. You are blessed by your actions.

[AFangel]

01:59 PM on 02/18/2012

First of all, the name of the article is wrong... "Strangers Step Up To Help Woman Who Induced Labor For Dying Woman" .... its HUSBAND. second of all he died 5 days after the birth, not 45 minutes. he slipped into a COMA 45 mins after and passed 5 days later. terrible reporting, huffington post.

[AFangel]

02:04 PM on 02/18/2012

this story is truly touching, but there needs to be some sort of proof reading system before they hit the PUBLISH button. Please, in the future, someone needs to do this. Don't do this great family an injustice by telling the story incorrectly.

[educatedsoccermom]

05:22 PM on 02/18/2012

No need to quibble over details. In the end he's still gone, she's without a husband, children without a father. It's a sad but moving story