Edina’s Story

Edina and her newborn after their check up

Upon discovering she was pregnant with her third child, 33-year-old Edina* decided to enroll in FAME’s prenatal program. She’d already had two C-sections. After regular attendance at our prenatal clinic, our medical team decided to be cautious and schedule her for a C-section at 39 weeks. Surgery day arrived and she was rolled into the OR. With Dr. Lisso and our American surgery volunteer, Dr. Kelly, scrubbed in and the anesthetist by their side, the team was ready go. Within minutes of starting the surgery, they found themselves in the throes of a medical emergency. Edina was suffering from Percreta: her placenta had grown through the uterine wall and she was suddenly losing a tremendous amount of blood. The team had to get the baby out fast and stop the bleeding. They called the lab for more blood. A healthy, crying baby was lifted out and whisked away by a nurse while the doctors began closing the uterus. The anesthetist continued giving Edina blood and monitoring her closely. With the surgery completed and Edina stable, the team wheeled her back to the ward for close observation. She soon began bleeding again and the team raced her back to the OR, where they had to perform a hysterectomy. After several hours and six units of blood, Edina was stabilized for good. She and her husband, newborn, and two other children experienced a joyful reunion. “I was so scared after the doctors told me I had to return to surgery because I was losing too much blood,” she told our team during her follow-up visit. “But they counseled me a lot and I agreed because I didn’t want to die and leave my baby and my kids. I thank God for leading me to FAME because I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t [come].”

* Name has been changed to protect patient privacy