“When Melanie became pregnant, everything was normal and calm. But as soon as she went into labor, she was taken to the operating room, and everything changed. She started turning blue, and the doctors pronounced her dead. But her husband did something incredible.
Doug and Melanie were thrilled when they found out they were having a girl. They were looking forward to giving their son the little sister he had always wanted. Most nights, Doug and the little one took turns listening to the baby kick. As the pregnancy approached 40 weeks, the excited couple did some special shopping. However, in week 39, something unexpected happened.
That morning, Melanie started having a mild contraction. Since it wasn’t yet that serious, she and Doug headed to the hospital, laughing on the way. When they got there, the doctor waited for the contractions to increase and broke her water. That’s when everything changed – well, for the worse.
Melanie started feeling dizzy, complaining of feeling weak and nauseous. Nothing seemed to indicate anything was wrong. Then they realized how wrong they were. Right in front of them, Melanie closed her eyes and collapsed. Her heart rate slowed, and her blood pressure dropped to zero.
As the seconds passed, she turned blue and could no longer breathe. And worse, as the baby girl had not been born, the baby’s vital signs also began to drop. Things were getting out of control, and the medical team knew they had to act quickly. They rushed her in for some tests. A scan showed she was suffering from an amniotic fluid embolism – a rare allergic reaction in which amniotic fluid enters the mother’s bloodstream, causing the heart and lungs to shut down.
While in the operating room, her condition worsened, and the doctors pronounced her dead. But they still wanted to save the baby. While the doctors were trying to save the baby girl, Doug was left outside pacing around. They told him her condition was critical and that she would not survive.
If she did, she would never be the same. This was all too much for Doug. He and his wife had spent the last few months waiting for the arrival of their baby, and suddenly, he had to say goodbye. Just like that, he felt helpless and frightened. Yet he prepared himself to say goodbye. But he couldn’t let her go without putting up a fight. And he did it the only way he knew how. He got down on his knees and prayed the most heartbreaking prayer he had ever had to say.
‘God, I know this is more than I can handle, which means You have a plan and a purpose in this, and I trust You. But please let me hug my wife again.’
He then contacted his family and friends, and those nearby rushed to the hospital. While in the waiting room, they all held hands and prayed. Each of them also shared their prayer requests on social media, and it was trending. While everyone waited in silence, Melanie was in the operating room, and doctors were struggling to revive her. Fortunately, another team of doctors was able to save the baby.
Out there, Doug still didn’t know if his wife would be able to see the precious baby girl she had just had. He had long heard of bittersweet experiences, but only now did he understand what that meant. He was more than happy for his little Gabrielle, but he also feared for the life of his beloved wife.
After a while, the doctors managed to revive her, but she still had a weak pulse. After 48 hours, the doctors transferred Melanie to the ICU, where they did everything possible to keep her breathing. Nevertheless, her health only worsened.
Melanie’s brother, who was a surgeon, heard of her terrible condition and rushed to the hospital. When he got there, he asked to see her records, and the result only made him panic. She was in a state of cardiovascular collapse.
The news of the sad event reached her family, who were still in the waiting room, and they all accepted that they might not see her again. It was a very sad and frightening moment, but Doug wasn’t ready yet. So he walked into his wife’s room for the second time and said, ‘I love you and will always love you. Brady and Gabrielle are beautiful, but if you have any strength left to fight…’
Doug’s faith was so strong that it changed everyone else’s mind too. As much as everyone hoped that the sad situation would turn around, Melanie’s condition did not improve. In fact, she had already received two blood transfusions but was still in critical condition.
After a few hours, the medical team discovered something they had missed. After performing a series of scans, they discovered that she was bleeding internally because an organ had been cut by mistake during the cesarean section. This explains why the blood transfusion did not work. For the second time, she was taken to the operating room, dying. Her condition was much worse than the first time. Was there any hope left?
From where she lay, though unconscious, it looked like her whole body was giving up. Her heart was not pumping well, and her lungs had failed. And the only thing keeping her alive was a respirator. The surrendered doctors waited for the moment when she would take her last breath. But Melanie held on. And when the doctor saw this, they concluded to move her to a better hospital.
When they got there, the medical staff hooked her up to a machine called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation that would help her restore her heart and lungs. They also needed to check her neurological functions, so they lowered the level of sedation to the point where she regained consciousness.
Just as she did, Doug walked into the room and said, ‘Hello, dear,’ smiling, even though his heart was breaking. Although Melanie was still very weak, what Doug did touched her somewhere deep inside, and a tear trickled down her eye. When the doctor saw her, they were stunned. It was a clear sign that she was not brain dead as they had thought.
Suddenly, a strong wave of hope filled the air. Maybe she could survive. For the first time, the doctors were hopeful and prepared for the final surgery that could save her life. Shortly before the anesthesia was administered, Doug entered the room and showed her a picture of Gabrielle. This awakened her maternal instincts, and if she could have, she would have jumped out of bed to go see her princess. But before she could do anything, she was given anesthesia and became unconscious.
The doctors began their work in the hope that she would pull through. And as expected, she came out of the operating room alive and well. Within 24 hours, the ventilator was removed, and she was able to breathe on her own again.
Later that night, her husband came into the room to see her, and it was an emotional reunion. Although Melanie doesn’t remember most of what happened, when her husband relived the moments, she was amazed and grateful to everyone who took the time to pray for her. The most beautiful part came when she was able to hold her baby in her hands. Everyone was fine, and they were finally back home.
What an incredible story. You can’t imagine the amount of joy I felt knowing that Melanie and her daughter survived. Have you ever survived something terrifying? How did it happen?
