Brain-Dead, Pregnant Mother Kept Alive for Months for Her Miracle Twins to Survive
A brain-dead Brazilian woman who was pregnant with twins was kept alive for 123 days so that her babies could survive. Doctors believe it is the longest a brain-dead, pregnant woman was kept alive. This happened to Frankielen da Silva Zampoli Padilha, 21, who tragically died in October after suffering a stroke.
Her husband, Muriel Padilha, 24, of Campo Largo. recalled the day when his wife called, begging him to come home immediately as she was suffering from a severe headache, which she described as a sharp pain at the back of her neck. She was crying, shaking and throwing up. She passed out on the way to the hospital.
Physicians at Nosso Senhora do Rocio hospital diagnosed her with cerebral hemorrhage. "They had given my wife multiple CT scans, sedated her with powerful drugs and pumped her full of antibiotics," Muriel said. Despite these efforts, the stroke rendered Frankielen brain-dead after three days.
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However, the young woman was pregnant with twins. At first, the doctors didn't think the babies would survive. They gave the babies three more days to live and if their hearts stopped beating, they will turn off the life support system. But the babies surprised the doctors and survived.
The doctors decided to save the twins who were nine weeks old at the time. For four months, they kept the mother alive through life support. They also called another doctor from Portugal who previously worked on a similar case wherein the fetus gestated for 107 days before being born.
Some 123 days later, the twins, Ana Vitoria and Asaph, were born via caesarean section, weighing 3 pounds and 2.9 pounds, respectively. The newborns were healthy but premature and were kept in the incubator for three months until they were healthy enough to be released. They are now being raised by Frankeilen's mother.
"Frankielen has appeared to me on many occasions especially when I was despairing and crying out for God to bring her back to me," Muriel said. "I believe God chose her for this purpose so a miracle could happen," he added. Dr. Dalton Rivabem, head of neurological ICU, agreed by attributing the operation's success to divine purpose.
