In 1993, Maria Cristina Cella Mocellin gave birth to her second child, and shortly thereafter became pregnant with her third child.
However, this pregnancy coincided with the reappearance of a tumor in her leg, and chemotherapy treatments would have endangered the life of her unborn child.
According to Vatican News, she later wrote a letter to her son that explained why she chose not to undergo chemotherapy.
The pregnancy progressed and she successfully gave birth to her son, Riccardo, in July 1994.
Unfortunately, the tumor spread in the meantime and created severe health problems for Maria. The doctors did all that they could for Maria, but it was not enough.
She suffered much during that final year of her life and offered it to God in complete resignation.
Maria died in 1994, at the age of 26 years old.
Her cause for canonization was opened on November 8, 2008, and Pope Francis gave her the title of "Venerable" on August 30, 2021, the next step in the canonization process.
