Julie and her husband Jay were both diagnosed on Saturday with bronchitis. They got on medication right away. Julie started having severe pain in her back over the weekend but thought it was all due to the coughing with bronchitis. She was not feeling good on Monday and thought it was issues possibly with the antibiotics. I received a couple of texts from her stating that she was having severe pain in her back/spine and stomach. Having heard her coughing fits, I too thought she was definitely suffering from muscle pain with all the coughing.

Tuesday morning she got up around 4:45 am and told Jay that she was having trouble breathing. Her neck appeared to be swollen. They went to the living room and within a few minutes, she started to pass out. Jay got her on the floor and lifted her legs up and called 911. The operator asked if she was breathing and he told them it didn’t look like it. He was then told to administer chest compressions. He gave her a “punch” to her chest which woke her up and she began to breath again. The ambulance arrived shortly after to take her to the hospital. After blood work and a CT scan they determined that she had a tear in her Aorta in section A (top of the heart) as well as section B (going down from heart into legs). She was alert at the time, and aware of what they found, although she was anxious and in a lot of pain. She was transported to a hospital that specializes in heart surgeries where they sent her into immediate surgery to repair the tears. The first surgery lasted 8 hours. The doctor and nurses said the only thing we really had going for us that day was that she was still alive. Beyond that, we were given very little hope, but that they would continue to do everything they could to keep her alive.

We are still not sure what caused this to happen to her. The doctor stated that when the aorta ruptures/tears it usually is enlarged. Julie’s aorta was still normal size. We don’t have the answers of why and maybe we never will, but we are grateful for a God we can trust through it all.

Many of my updates have filled in the gaps until now. Two days ago, we were filled with fears of never seeing her again this side of heaven...Today I was able to speak to her, have her raise her hand to me, and have tears her in eyes as I talked to her. God is awesome. I know the prayers of all of you have been heard! Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our family.

Doctors said she is still in a critical stage and her chest cavity is remaining open as her heart is not beating on its own. They are waiting till Monday at earliest to close her chest. Everything is tentative and the doctors remain optimistically cautious... however they have commented on how exceptionally she has progressed. We are not out of the woods and they say it will probably be months before she leaves the hospital.