The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel
Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph
Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive
if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie
Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's
remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University
Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while
the baby is still in the womb.
 

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and
makes a small incision to operate on the baby. During the surgery on
little Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed, hand
through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. The
photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity.
 

The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the
picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander
Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr.
Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life." Little
Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture.
 

She said, "The photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability or
an illness, it's about a little person." "The Hand" of the fetus. You can
see the actual picture, and it is awesome...incredible. And hey, pass it
on. The world needs to see this one.

                            ~ Julie and Alex Armas ~