Sean and Heather Brown struggled for over seven years to conceive.
In 2012, they finally learned that they were pregnant with a baby boy! Out of nowhere, 34-weeks expectant mom had seizures due to the massive brain bleed. Doctors performed a C-section immediately, but Heather soon slipped into a coma.
The couple first met on a blind date. Even though Sean was hesitant at first, the two realized how compatible they were. One month after that date, they decided to live together. They got married the following year.
“We would stay up until the wee hours talking, and about a month later, we moved in with each other,” Sean recalled. “We got married the following year. I guess she was willing to put up with me for the rest of her life.”
The Browns decided to expand their family, but they struggled for more than seven years to conceive. When they learned that Heather was expecting in 2012, their hearts were filled with joy and excitement.
The doctors couldn’t believe that she was able to conceive. What happened was a complete medical miracle.
“We wanted this so badly,” Sean shared. “Doctors told her that she would never be fertile, so when we got the great news, it didn’t sink in at first. We were in awe and shock.”
Sean had to leave to serve with the National Guard in Afghanistan. He had worked through the ranks and became an officer. While he was away, Heather started to experience pregnancy problems. Her blood pressure continued to increase, and she was light headed.
During Heather’s 34th week of pregnancy, she experienced back pain and headache. Heather suffered a brain aneurysm.
Her family rushed her to the hospital, but she slipped into a coma. The doctors were worried that she would lose the baby, so they immediately performed a C-section, and the baby was taken to NICU for care.
The doctors found that Heather had developed preeclampsia. It is characterized by fluid retention and high blood pressure. Without treatment, it can be dangerous for both mother and baby.
Sean was still in Afghanistan when he received the terrifying news from Heather’s aunt. Once he heard the condition of his wife and baby, he did everything he could to come back home.
“I hitchhiked on different planes to get home,” Sean said. “It took three days, but I finally got to them.”
When Sean arrived, he first visited their baby, John Michael Thomas Brown. He recalled the bittersweet feeling he had the moment he held him for the first time. Then, he went to his wife, and the doctors informed him that she might never recover from the coma.
In the summer of 2013, Heather woke up one day. She was still unable to move and speak, but she could open her eyes. She cried when she saw her baby for the first time. Sean knew that the recovery process was going to be long and complicated, but he was willing to do anything to help his wife.
Gradually, Heather showed signs of progress. She has made efforts to move and speak. Sean shared her improvements on a Facebook page dedicated to his family’s recovery.
John Michael, now 5, spends time by his mother’s side. He wishes for her mother’s full recovery so she can get to know him.
The local community and charities continue to give support and love to John and his family.
“But we know our God is in the business of miracles,” he wrote on a Facebook page. “We believe through the power of prayer, Heather will wake up, and we believe this Brown is coming home, too.”
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