I'm in complete awe of Georgina Cormack, a British woman who had four heart attacks and a stroke while giving birth to twins and somehow managed to survive. The trouble was apparently caused by an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), which happens when fetal cells travel into the mom's bloodstream triggering an allergic reaction. This rare condition affects about one in 20,000 women, but it's one of the leading causes of death during labor, according to an article in Critical Care Nurse journal.
Cormack, 33, almost died after her first child was born when her heart stopped and she suffered a bilateral stroke. After delivering her second child, who wasn't breathing but was brought back to life, doctors placed Cormack in an induced coma. She eventually woke up and after months of therapy, she has made a full recovery.
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"When I should have been celebrating the happiest event of my life I was at a loss to know who I was, where I was, what I was doing there," she told EADT24. "I was unable to understand all these strange noises people around me were making."
In fact, Cormack had to learn how to speak all over again since the stroke affected the part of the brain that controls speech. Can you imagine? While she describes her recovery as slow, she was also determined to make it happen so she could be mom to her little baby twins Oscar and Connie.
"It's been traumatic and I've been through every emotion imaginable these past ten months but, more than anything else, I feel lucky," she said.
Considering most people die from what happened to her, I'd say she's SUPER lucky! And so are those little babies who obviously have a strong and tenacious woman for a mom!
Had you ever heard of AFE?
Image via MammaLoves/flickr
