A woman is ‘fighting for motherhood’ this week, in an induced coma, after contracting flu while pregnant.
Sarah Hawthorn, from Victoria in Australia, fell ill towards the end of her pregnancy. While she attended her doctor on numerous occasions, her concerns were brushed off.
Eventually, when her condition deteriorated, the 33-year-old was brought to hospital for an emergency delivery, on August 28. She was still five weeks shy of her due date.
Sarah gave birth to a son with husband Robert, at Victoria’s Alfred Hospital, shortly after.
She was then placed into an induced coma to fight for her life, after being diagnosed with influenza A, pneumonia and other unspecified complications.
Sarah is unaware that she has given birth, and her family are waiting for her to wake up before selecting a name for the newborn.
In the meantime, the family have set up a GoFundMe page (link here), to pay for the cost of her treatment.
Loved one Rachael Holt explained the journey so far, on Sarah’s ‘fight for motherhood’.
“During the later stages of Sarah’s pregnancy, she caught the flu. As a result, her gorgeous boy arrived earlier than planned and, following his birth, Sarah was – and remains – in a critical condition, in an induced coma,” she wrote.
She went on to set a fundraising goal of $20K, which has already been surpassed, thanks to donations from generous members of the public.
“Funds raised will be used to meet the financial needs of Sarah and her family at this time, such as travel, accommodation, living and ongoing medical expenses,” she added.
As well as the GoFundMe, the family has also set up a page called ‘Sending Sarah Love’, to gather well wishes from across the globe.
We’re sending lots of love to Sarah and her family at this time, and we hope she makes a speedy recovery.
