Never underestimate a mother’s power to save her family, no matter what the emergency may be!
The day before Ashley Goette of St. Paul, Minnesota was due to be induced into labor with her first baby back in 2018, she woke up to the sound of her husband, Andrew Goette, struggling to breathe in the bed next to her. Barely awake and 39 weeks pregnant, Ashley quickly dialed 911 and started chest compressions.
Doctors would later credit Ashley for saving her husband’s life, but he wasn’t out of the woods just yet. Andrew was rushed to the hospital, where doctors determined he’d had a cardiac arrest. Scans of his brain showed a catastrophic brain injury from being deprived of oxygen. Hospital personnel started preparing Ashley for the worst possible outcome, and she worried endlessly about bringing their baby home without her husband by her side.
Andrew was put into a medically-induced coma with a low body temperature for 24 hours. Meanwhile, Ashley delayed her scheduled C-section so she could remain at Andrew’s bedside. Their friends and family came to say their goodbyes, and Ashley asked them all to pray for him. The next day, when doctors brought Andrew out of the coma and tapered off the sedatives, everyone was shocked when Andrew revived.
“Then he just sat up and opened his eyes,” Ashley recalled. “I was on his Spotify looking for songs he likes to try to spark brain activity, and all of a sudden he’s awake. I just dropped everything and I was just telling him he was OK because he looked so scared and confused.”
Twenty-four hours later, Ashley was induced into labor. Their son, Lennon “Lenny” Goette, arrived 22 hours later. While Andrew couldn’t be in the room to greet his son, he was able to watch the birth via FaceTime and hold his son just moments after his arrival.
Relatives set up a GoFundMe to help the family with expenses while Andrew recovered. Just days later, they all went back home feeling incredibly lucky to be together.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” Andrew said. “I went from the brink of death to being able to watch the birth of my son. It will be one heck of a story to tell him when he’s older.”
In just four days, Ashley saved a life and gave birth to a new life, yet she remained modest about her role in things.
“I feel like I’m given a little bit too much credit here,” she said. “I feel like Andrew defied the odds by waking up from all of this and being injury-free, and all the credit should go to the doctors, nurses and paramedics. I’m just so happy everyone is home and healthy.”
Andrew has now made a full recovery, and the couple recently welcomed their second child! What a wonderful ending to a story with a truly terrifying beginning.
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