For one family, there is one day that will be remembered as a special one in particular. On the day that a grandchild was born, the grandmother literally passed away and was brought back to life. It’s a sequence of events that gave the family a sense of hope. More than that, it gave the medical team that helped them through this challenging day another look at life.
Kathy’s daughter was going into labor.
Kathy is a proud mother, and she was out on the golf course when she got the call that she had been waiting for. Her daughter, Stacey, was about to have a baby.
Kathy had planned on meeting her grandchild, but then the unexpected happened: Kathy suffered a heart attack.
Not too long after the heart attack began, she was pronounced clinically dead.
With none of the typical signs of life, like a heartbeat, oxygen, or pulse, Kathy was pronounced dead. She would remain so for the next 45 minutes. While this was going on, EMTs were rushing her to Greater Baltimore Medical Center, the same hospital her daughter was giving birth at.
While Kathy was experiencing her own medical event, Stacey and the baby were having a difficult labor. But everyone’s luck started to turn around.
Stacey had been in labor for 39 hours and the baby was stuck in her birth canal. After these long hours of labor, doctors determined that she needed an emergency C-section. While Stacey was undergoing this surgery, her mom came back to life.
Kathy had been put in the CPR room of the hospital, and after successful CPR, she started to show signs of life again. It began to feel like a miracle had just happened.
The doctors used innovative CPR techniques to help revive Kathy.
Their technique is considered an aggressive resuscitation approach, and the hospital is accredited with the title ‘Resuscitation Quality Improvement Lighthouse Organization’ for using it. This involves using different technologies to measure metrics about if the CPR administrator is doing chest compressions deep enough. It helps staff determine how they can better treat a person in need.
Stacey’s baby was also born healthy and happy.
This sequence of coincidences made the family feel like something momentous had happened. And, it certainly does seem like fate played a hand here. Stacey told WJZ-TV:
“It was just fate that my Mom was supposed to be here. It was ultimately because of Alora [Stacey’s newborn] that my Mom is here and happened to be at the right place at the right time…She truly is a walking miracle.”
Even the doctors took time to recognize this as a miracle.
Sometimes it seems like doctors have seen it all. But not this time. Kathy’s miraculous recovery at the same time as Stacey’s birth really inspired the hospital doctors to think about life. Dr. Dov Frankel, who treated the family, says:
“I don’t say you’re welcome, I say thank you…You taught us what it means to live. You taught us what it means not to give up.”
Now, Kathy and her daughter get to enjoy grandmotherhood and motherhood together, against all odds.
Hear more about this incredible story in the video below!
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