Mum 'trapped in body' after brain tumour burst delivers baby girl while in coma
Emma Taylor's life changed forever when she suffered a headache at seven-and-a-half-months pregnant - and it turned out to be far more serious than she ever imagined.
The 33-year-old collapsed at home and her partner, Scott Week, rushed her to hospital, where she placed in an induced coma to give birth to their baby girl.
Three months later, Emma woke up after having a caesarean and emergency surgery to remove a brain tumour - that she didn't even know was there.
Now, mum to six-month-old Ophelia, Emma is determined to recover from her living nightmare - but NHS cuts and shortages are making it hard for her progress.
Emma was in her third trimester when she suddenly collapsed at home (Scott Weeks / SWNS)
She gave birth to baby Ophelia via C-section while she was in a coma (Scott Weeks / SWNS)Scott, from Chelmsford, Essex, said: "I knew she hadn't been feeling well, and while I was downstairs she fell out the bed and was sick on the floor."
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He noticed the left side of her body was lifeless and her right eye was half open and half closed.
Scott called 999, extremely worried for the welfare of both her and their unborn baby.
"I called an ambulance, but they couldn't get to us fast enough, so I decided to drive Emma myself," he said.
"It's lucky I did, because doctors said if I had waited four hours, there would have been a very different outcome.
"They needed to carry out scans on Emma, but to do that safely, they delivered Ophelia first."
On October 30, 2022, heavily pregnant Emma was put in a coma at Broomfield Hospital to deliver their daughter via caesarean.
Ophelia was born six-weeks premature, but thankfully, without any complications.
After birth, scans revealed Emma had been living with a non-cancerous brain tumour, likely since she was born.
The dental hygienist was then diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumour (Scott Weeks / SWNS)
Scott feared that his partner and unborn baby wouldn't survive (Scott Weeks / SWNS)"The scans then showed a huge tumour she'd been living with which had burst after pregnancy hormones accelerated its growth," Scott, 47, explained.
"This caused a bleed on the brain, and as a result, her right brain stem and right eye were affected - leaving her left side paralysed."
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Emma was airlifted to Queens Hospital, in Romford, where surgeons successfully removed two thirds of the 60mm tumour.
For the surgery, she was still in a coma, and didn't show any signs of consciousness for three months.
But at the end of January, dental hygienist Emma started to show cyclical consciousness.
She was then transferred to Northwick Park, where she's been recovering for three months - but limited NHS facilities will see her moved to a low intensity rehab centre.
"She can't talk yet, but she can communicate with her hands and head movements - she's showed she's determined to get better for our daughter," Scott said.
A reduction in rehabilitation therapy will slow her progress, and Scott is afraid of the effects this could have on her recovery time.
Emma is determined to recover and make it home to her baby girl (Scott Weeks / SWNS)
But limited NHS facilities could impact her progress and set them back (Scott Weeks / SWNS)So, he's started a GoFundMe in a bid to raise the money for private treatment, which he hopes will get Emma talking and walking again - and back to their daughter.
Scott, who's been in a relationship with Emma for two and a half years, said: "The operation was successful but she's been left with some long term impediments.
"From where the tumour burst, she is pretty much blind in her right eye, and the movement on her left side is expected be limited to about 75 percent.
"She's at the stage where she can communicate with head movements and her hands, we've even had a few tears.
"Although NHS staff have been amazing, due to a lack of beds, she will be moved into a lower intensity rehab programme, which I fear will impact her progress.
"I'm trying to get the money together so she can get the best treatment - I can tell how frustrated she is.
"She's trapped in her own body - and I know all that she wants is to come home to her baby. Any donations would mean the world to us."
You can donate to Scott's fundraiser by visiting his GoFundMe page online.
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