A pregnant woman survived an undetected tumor pressing up against her heart. She is thankful to her newborn daughter and to God for the divine timing that saved her life.
“I was extremely tired,” she told The Epoch Times. “I would work for a couple hours and it would wipe me out for two to three days. I was out of breath, but I figured it was because we lived in a two-storey.”
Brittany says she had the “absolute best” birth experience, laboring at home, reaching hospital on time, and delivering Liv without an epidural on Aug. 4, 2022, two days before her due date.
“I never imagined I would be a girl mom, but holding her for the first time was incredible,” Brittany said. “There was so much excitement in the room and I was on such a high from delivery. As soon as she was given to me ... a very loud peace came, and it was like I had known her my whole life.”
One day prior, Brittany had developed a cough and decided she must have a head cold. In her recovery room at the hospital, the cough worsened, prompting her nurses to “double mask” as a cautionary measure. But all of her tests came back negative.
After a week at home, Brittany and Brad headed to a family photo shoot with their children despite Brittany nursing an intense 3-day headache. Her cough persisted.
“Our photographer heard me coughing and urged me to go to the doctor because it sounded ‘deep in my chest,’ so I actually made a phone call while we were still shooting and was instructed to go to urgent care,” Brittany said. “I didn’t really think that was necessary with a one-week-old baby, so we came home and I tried to rest.”
Yet, feeling dizzy and nauseous while nursing baby Liv, Brittany changed her mind and Brad rushed her to urgent care. Over seven hours, Brittany underwent numerous tests and ultrasounds. Doctors spoke with her OB-GYN while Brittany enlisted the support of her sister, an MD, and Brad’s sister, a nurse.
She said: “At first they kept telling me they thought it was postpartum cardiomyopathy. Once the ultrasound confirmed it wasn’t my heart, more tests were ordered, and around hour five I started getting nervous ... finally, someone came into my room.”
Brittany had a mass in the area between her lungs, the anterior mediastinum, measuring 7cm by 7cm. It could be cancerous or it could not, doctors said, urging her to follow up immediately.
Shocked and frightened, Brittany and Brad started researching online to learn more about her condition, before Brittany turned to social media to share her experience at the ER. A woman she met seven years ago saw the post.
“She reached out to me, mentioned she worked for a cardiothoracic surgeon, and that he would fit me into his schedule ... it was God’s timing,” Brittany said. “I truly believe I met her seven years ago and stayed in touch because God knew I was going to need this surgery.”
This connection put Brittany’s health in the hands of an expert. On Aug. 31 last year, just three weeks after giving birth, she underwent open heart surgery to remove the mass pressing on her heart. Brad braced himself for a three-hour wait, but Brittany was in surgery for just 38 minutes.
“Immediately after surgery I noticed I no longer had a cough,” she said. “I was three weeks postpartum so my body was still healing from having a baby. I don’t think I really had time to process what was happening I just wanted to make sure that I was OK for my husband and kids.”
Post-surgery, Brittany’s mom flew into town to help with childcare. Her best friend sourced a deep freeze and over 900 ounces of donated breast milk since Brittany’s surgeon was not sure she would be able to breastfeed. Loved ones set up a meal train, and Brittany’s family was fed through the month of September.
For Brittany, the hardest part of recovery was not being able to hold her newborn, but she was amazed by the outpouring of love and support.
“I feel like I have been given a second chance,” she said. "Reflecting back, it’s very emotional to think about my daughter saving my life. When you are pregnant, your body holds two extra liters of blood, which is why my heart never malfunctioned ... it kept pumping properly my whole pregnancy, which is also a miracle.
“I think my daughter is going to do amazing things in this world and she doesn’t really know how truly powerful she is. What an amazing story to have for her, and for her to tell. I feel incredibly blessed.”
Brittany urges everyone to live life to the fullest, love out loud, and share life stories since everybody’s story is worthy of being told.
“This has been the most incredible experience of my life thus far,” she said. “Any anger or resentment or weight I was carrying with me was all let go when I was rolled into surgery ... I wake up every day and feel so incredibly blessed to have another day here.
“We are all humans looking for a piece of connection. Life is so short and we do not know when our time is up. My time isn’t now, so I know I still have more work to do here.”
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