Before the C-section, something strange happened, the doctors didn’t know what was going on:
Karisa Bugal, age 34, was going into labor on November 3 at the Medical Center of Aurora, Colorado, when doctors discovered that she had a syndrome known as amniotic fluid embolism. Amniotic fluid embolism is an extremely rare condition that cannot be prevented.
According to what Dr. Kelly Gerow said in an interview with KUSA-TV, “the amniotic fluids around the baby or some of the baby’s skin or hair gets into the mother’s bloodstream, and this triggers catastrophic shutdown of all the organs.”
“We have no idea how to stop it from happening. We are completely clueless on how to stop it from happening in any way.”
As a result of the issue, her unborn child’s heart rate started to slow down, and Karisa was forced to make a difficult decision: she could either have a C-section to save her child’s life or she could delay the delivery to save her own.
According to Dr. Gerow’s comments to KUSA-TV, “her alternative choice would have been to stay awake for her surgery; however, by the time we would have put in a spinal tap or something else, it’s probable that Declan would not have made it.”
Karisa did not dither when it came time to make the choice that would assure the safe delivery of her child. She went into surgery fully aware of the fact that it was quite likely that she would pass away as a result of the procedure.
Declan Jay Bugal, a robust baby boy weighing 7 pounds and 4 ounces, was born on November 4 at approximately 7:30 in the morning.
The medical personnel informed his mother that her “miracle baby” had survived, and then they brought her into the intensive care unit, where she passed away shortly after arriving there. Her last words were “How big is he?”
Wes Bugal, her husband, was inconsolable and worried about how he would break the news to his daughter, Mallory, and to their newborn son, when the latter would be old enough to comprehend what had occurred.
“How can I break the news to him that his mother is in the hospital giving birth to his brother? That is something that is constantly on my mind, “As Wes Bugal explained it to KUSA-TV.
“What should I tell him when he wonders where his mother is? Keep what you have right now close to you because you can never be sure when someone might come along and steal it from you.”
A GoFundMe page has been created in her honor, and in a little more than a day, it raised more than the initial goal of $20,000; at the present, it is about $40,000 in total contributions.
The box for comments has been inundated with notes of condolence, many of which include heartfelt reminders of how far a mother’s love can extend.
