Ogden woman with brain tumor dies hours after giving birth
Published at
OGDEN — Just hours after giving birth to her second daughter, Meg Bostwick, 27, died from complications due to a brain tumor. She left behind a husband, two children and a legacy of hard work and kindness.
“In early May, Meg started having some headaches. And her (second) pregnancy was a little tougher than her first … (so) we kind of attributed that to the pregnancy,” her husband, Scott Bostwick, said.
It was only a few weeks after the headaches began, however, that Meg experienced a seizure while on her way to the hospital. She was rushed to the Logan Regional Hospital and stabilized, then transported to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray for further tests.
It was there a team of oncologists and neurosurgeons diagnosed Meg with a stage four glioblastoma tumor located in an inoperable spot in her brain. Meg’s only available option was radiation and chemotherapy, but at 26 weeks pregnant the Bostwicks knew that would be difficult.
“The (doctor’s) recommendation was to stay off of Google for a while,” Scott said. “I didn’t listen. But when you look at statistics on a glioblastoma grade four, it’s not if you’re going to pass, it’s how much time you have before you’re going to pass.”
Two weeks later, as the Bostwicks and neuro-oncologists prepped to start Meg’s radiation, a severe seizure caused her tumor to hemorrhage. The mother-to-be was placed on life support. Doctors delivered her second daughter, Kennedy, via C-section on June 14, nearly 12 weeks before her due date.
Meg remained on life support as family members said their last goodbyes. A few hours later, she passed away before meeting her newest daughter.
Kennedy is currently in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and, though there are “up days and down days,” her father hopes he will be able to bring his new daughter home on her original due date: Sept 5.
“I just promised (Meg) that her girls are going to get taken care of and will always remember who their mom was and what a great lady she was,” Scott said. “… She’s a hard-working, caring lady who took care of everybody’s needs before hers. Just a smart girl that took care of everybody else.”
Scott first met Meg on a blind date orchestrated by his brother-in-law in December 2008, and it was Meg’s genuine heart, caring nature and quick wit that first attracted Scott. The couple were married a little over 10 months later, on October 9, 2009. Their first daughter, Nora, was born in2015.
The couple worked hard together and were able to pay off their own home by saving money and “living humbly,” Scott said.
“Me and Meg really kind of put our heels in and both of us went to work,” he said. “She was able to get her bachelor’s of nursing degree and went on to get her doctorate degree from the University of Utah.”
Meg also funded her entire college career through academic scholarships and averaged a 3.95 GPA during her time in school. She worked hard to care for others, even through her own pain, Scott said, and worked in the oncology unit as a nurse practitioner during the last six months of her career.
“Her heart was there taking care of people who were in the same situation that she ultimately ended up in as well,” Scott said. “There’s something to that.”