It's almost ten years since the shocking moment new mum Ciara Murray woke up and discovered she had a 10-day-old baby boy after giving birth while she was in a coma.
Ciara, now 40 and from Enniskillen, suffered a stroke when she was 37 weeks pregnant and doctors had to put her in a coma to save her and the baby.
Up until this point, Ciara had experienced a normal pregnancy and barely even suffered from morning sickness. But on October 29th 2015, she unexpectedly suffered a massive stroke because of a blood clot on her brain.
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Ciara recalled: "Three years after I got married, I fell pregnant. I was healthy and everything was good. But near the end of the pregnancy I developed high blood pressure. I had my baby shower and then the following weekend I had the stroke."
Ciara had a regular morning when she began to feel unwell after breakfast. She went for a lie down but she didn't make it to the bed and instead collapsed onto the bedroom floor. With her husband John, at work, Ciara was unable to move as she lay there drifting in and out of consciousness for seven hours.
"That day I was on my own at home and I didn't feel well so I thought I would lie down on the bed. I didn't get to the bed and I fell between the locker and the bed. I was on the floor and couldn’t move. My phone was on the bed, and I tried so hard, but I couldn’t reach it. So, I just lay there and seven hours later John came home and found me," she said.
"I couldn't feel the baby at all. I was far more worried about him than myself. I was so frightened. I just had to close my eyes and hope the time would go quickly. Everyone was ringing me, and I could hear the ringtone, but I couldn’t get it."
When John came home at 6.30pm, Ciara was finally able to shout for help: "I was so glad to hear the key in the door. I said to him 'Is that you John?' He came in and he tried to lift me."
Ciara was blue-lighted to hospital where it was confirmed she'd had a stroke and said "that's the last thing I remember". She was put into an induced coma for an operation and also had a C-section to deliver her unborn baby.
She said: "They didn't tell me before the surgery that I was going to give birth. When I woke up my baby bump had gone so I pointed to my tummy. I was trying to say help, where is my baby but no words came out. I kept pointing to my stomach as I wanted to know if my baby was ok."
Eventually, a nurse explained that Ciara's son, James had been born healthy, weighing 5lb 5oz, and that she had been in an induced coma for 10 days.
"John brought [James] into me, and it was just amazing. It was the most magical experience ever. James was hysterically crying and really unsettled, but they said this is your baby Ciara as they put him on my chest."
Ciara had to learn how to be a mother with the use of only one arm but found speaking with other stroke survivors to be very encouraging in helping her learn to live with the effects of her stroke.
She said: "You do need a bit of help outside of your family. Ciara McConnell is my Stroke Engagement Association Officer. We get on great. The Stroke Association offer counselling and speech and language therapy as well. Stroke survivors need that support and I would be lost without it."
Alasdair O’Hara, Northern Ireland Director at the Stroke Association, said Ciara’s story will resonate with many of the 40,000 stroke survivors living in Northern Ireland.
"As a medical emergency stroke can be sudden and devastating when it strikes. It can change the course of someone's life in an instant and can take away your speech, your ability to walk, your independence and your dignity.
"This is where the Stroke Association comes in, we’re here to help stroke survivors find strength through our support and are committed to being with people throughout their journey.
"Our free helpline, communication service, emotional support service and local groups are here for people throughout NI. If you or someone you know could benefit from the type of support Ciara received I’d encourage you to reach out through our website or phoning our helpline."
To find your strength through support, visit: https://bit.ly/4dy1pGF.
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