Woman wakes up after 7-week COVID-19 coma and discovers something spectacular
It turned out her life had changed completely
A British woman from Manchester had the shock of her life when she woke up after being in a coma for seven weeks. The world around her had just moved on, something made all too clear by what she discovered. Her life before the coma had been completely different from what her life would be like after.
Curious to hear about her story? Continue reading quickly!
Sick
Laura Ward, a 33-year-old woman from Tyldesley, a village in Greater Manchester in the west of England, worked as a teaching assistant at Tyldesley Primary School. At the end of the school year, the woman developed a sore throat: she coughed a lot. As is the norm with these types of symptoms, she immediately had herself tested for COVID-19.
The rapid test that she had done gave a negative result. However, her symptoms worsened, so she also took a PCR test. This test showed a positive result. Laura had contracted COVID-19. She went into quarantine and hoped that her symptoms would disappear soon.
Coma
The symptoms worsened, until at a certain point Laura could hardly breathe. She decided to call 911, where she was advised to go to the hospital. She stayed here for two weeks, while her symptoms kept getting worse. It was a terrible time for Laura.
The last thing she remembers is being returned to the COVID ward in her bed one day. Then everything turned black and she fell into a coma. Time flew by for her, but it was a very difficult period for her family.
It would be a long time before she woke up again…
Seven weeks
The family found it difficult to see their beloved Laura like this. The teaching assistant did not respond to stimuli and was kept on a ventilator. Especially John, Laura’s partner, was having a hard time. Due to measures against the spread of COVID-19, he was not allowed to come near his wife.
It was seven long weeks for the family, but there was more than just sadness during this period. Something incredible happened. Unfortunately, although Laura was physically present, she was not conscious when the miracle happened. They would have loved for her to be able to experience this…
It was still weeks before she would wake up.
Contact
Laura’s relatives tried to contact their loved one during her stay in the hospital. Laura’s nurses regularly put her phone next to her bed so John could talk to his wife via FaceTime. He didn’t know if she could hear him, but it did wonders for his peace of mind.
John told her how proud he was of her and how strong she was. He also told her what had happened and how sorry he was that she had missed this. He hoped she would wake up soon to see for herself what a wonderful thing had occurred.
Unfortunately, Laura wasn’t able to hear any of this, which is why she was so shocked when she woke up weeks later…
Unvaccinated
Unfortunately, Laura had contracted COVID-19. She had not been vaccinated against the virus, because she belonged to a group that had until then been advised not to get vaccinated (yet). This could entail risks.
Laura had no underlying health problems other than a special type of diabetes. Just before Laura started to suffer from her symptoms, the National Health Services (NHS) adjusted the vaccination advice for her risk group. Unfortunately, this came too late for Laura, and she ended up in the hospital unvaccinated and in a coma.
When she got there and doctors consulted her medical records, it turned out that it was not just her life that was in danger…
Risk group
The reason that Laura had not gotten vaccinated was because she belonged to a certain risk group. Laura was pregnant at the time of her COVID-19 infection. She was 6 months pregnant when she was hospitalized. Laura was very concerned about her baby’s health.
Once Laura slipped into a coma, John became extremely concerned about his future child. Fortunately, the doctors quickly reassured him: there seemed to be nothing wrong with the little one. They kept a close eye on the baby’s health and would notify him of any changes.
Still, there was one thing John needed to keep in mind, the doctors said…
Early
The doctors told John that although Laura wasn’t due until October 15, there was a chance the baby would have to be delivered earlier. A pregnant woman in a coma has much less strength in her body than other women. John prepared for the worst.
After a 31-week pregnancy, with more than 2 months to go before the October 15 due date, the doctors decided to deliver the baby through an emergency procedure. Laura had a cesarean section while unconscious. John paced the hospital lobby, awaiting news.
He hoped everything would go well…
Childbirth
Medical experts at the Royal Bolton Hospital did everything they could to deliver the baby without any problems. It was a challenging medical procedure, as the woman was comatose. The COVID measures also had to be observed as much as possible. Everything was done to make the birth a success.
Laura wasn’t aware of the procedure, but for John, every minute felt like an hour. After intensive surgery, one of the doctors walked into the hall of the hospital. John jumped out of his chair and ran toward the doctor. He had good news. His daughter was perfectly healthy and Laura’s condition had not worsened.
John couldn’t wait to tell his wife!
Telling the news
When Laura was back in the COVID ward, John called her via FaceTime. The nurses put the phone back in its usual place. John couldn’t hold back his tears as he broke the news to Laura. For the nurses, this was the first time they’d heard a man telling his wife that she had given birth. Usually, it’s the other way around.
Unfortunately, Laura still hadn’t woken up, leaving her unaware that she had become a mother to a little girl. It would be weeks before she woke up. Once awake, her world had had changed completely. Due to the COVID measures and the early birth, John and Laura’s baby had to stay in the hospital with her mother for the foreseeable future.
Laura couldn’t believe her eyes when she woke up…
A miracle
After being in a coma for seven weeks at the Royal Bolton Hospital, Laura Ward finally woke up. She was very confused. It must certainly be a crazy experience to fall asleep and wake up seven weeks later. Especially when you wake up to find something as special as what was waiting for Laura…
After Laura had oriented herself in the room she woke up in, her eyes fell on something incredible. She wasn’t alone in her bed. How was this possible? For her, it felt like it was still seven weeks ago… Yet now she was surprised by something that told her very clearly that she hadn’t just taken a nap.
Curious about what Laura found? Continue reading quickly!
The surprise
There was a baby beside her in her bed. Her baby! Laura was greatly surprised by this miracle. That’s why it took a long time before she finally realized what had happened. By now her nurses had realized she had woken up and began to calmly update her on her situation.
Laura couldn’t believe what she heard. She had spent seven weeks in a coma, during which time she had given birth to a healthy girl. She looked around for her husband, but he was nowhere to be seen. The nurses told her that because of the measures, he was not allowed to come near her, so he had not been able to hold his daughter yet.
Laura was overjoyed, until she discovered something that threatened to throw a spanner in the works…
No movement
Much to Laura’s shock, she was unable to lift her arms. She couldn’t move her legs either. After trying to move different parts of her body, Laura found that all she could do was nod and shake her head. She couldn’t speak either.
This was a terrible feeling for Laura, who wanted nothing more than to hold her baby in her arms. Unfortunately, this would have to wait. It took two weeks before Laura could utter a word. After this, she had to relearn the simplest day-to-day things. The coma had had a profound effect on her.
Laura did everything she could to hug her child as soon as possible…
Brushing her teeth
Laura had to relearn the simplest things. Eating, drinking, brushing your teeth: all the things you learn as a toddler posed a huge challenge for the woman who had just been in a coma for seven weeks. It took a lot of energy to relearn all these things.
Fortunately, Laura had a very strong source of motivation: she did everything she could to be able to hold her daughter in her arms as soon as possible. In her mind she could already picture herself with the little one, but she was still a long way from being able to do this.
Finally!
After weeks of rehabilitation, Laura finally regained some control over her body. At the beginning of December she was finally able to walk again. She could also use her arms again, so it was finally time to give her little girl the hugs she deserved.
During the coma, John had always called the girl “baby girl” because he wanted to wait until he talked to Laura before they gave her a real name. They quickly agreed on the name. They wanted the name to symbolize the miracle the girl had been.
They chose the only name that was suitable for this purpose…