Mum left ‘trapped in her own body’ after brain tumour burst had baby while in coma

A mum who gave birth to her baby girl while in a coma has been left “trapped in her own body” after a tumour burst in her brain.

Emma Taylor, 33, was heavily pregnant when she was placed into an induced coma in October last year, before giving birth to her daughter Opehlia by emergency caesarean. Two days after the birth Emma had to undergo an operation to remove a tumour on her brain, but remained in a coma for another three months.

Doctors decided to deliver Ophelia six weeks early in order to safely carry out scans on dental hygienist Emma. Two thirds of the tumour have now been removed and Emma is recovering well, but limited NHS facilities will see her moved to a low intensity rehab centre.

Six months on, she is still in an NHS rehab centre after the burst tumour caused her to suffer paralysis, leaving her forced to communicate through head and hand movements. She is still unable to talk, and the tumour left blind in her right eye and severely limited her movement on her left side.

Her partner, and Ophelia’s father, Scott Weeks, 47, has set up a GoFundMe page for Emma in a bid to fund private treatment and says she is determined to get better for her daughter.

Scott, from Chelmsford, Essex, said: “Emma was recovering really well in rehab, but due to a lack of beds she’s been moved to a less intense programme. She can’t talk yet, but she can communicate with her hands and head movements - she’s showed she’s determined to get better for our daughter.”

Emma collapsed on the evening of 30 October after complaining of a headache earlier in the day. At the time she was seven and a half months pregnant, leaving Scott fearing for the welfare of her and their unborn baby.

As he helped her he noticed the left side of her body was lifeless, while her right eye was half open and half closed. He phoned 999 but was told to expect a four hour wait before an ambulance arrived, so he chose to drive Emma to Broomfield Hospital himself, where doctors carried out a C-section to deliver Ophelia shortly after.

Scans that were carried out after the birth revealed that Emma had been living with a non-cancerous brain tumour which, unbeknown to her, she likely had since she was born.

Scott, who works in sales and marketing, explained: “I knew she hadn’t been feeling well, and while I was downstairs she fell out the bed and was sick on the floor. I called an ambulance, but they couldn’t get to us fast enough, so I decided to drive Emma myself.

“It’s lucky I did, because doctors said if I had waited four hours, there would have been a very different outcome. They needed to carry out scans on Emma, but to do that safely, they delivered Ophelia first.

“The scans then showed a huge tumour she’d been living with which had burst after pregnancy hormones accelerated its growth. This caused a bleed on the brain, and as a result, her right brain stem and right eye were affected - leaving her left side paralysed.”

‘She’s trapped in her own body’

Emma was airlifted to Queens Hospital in Romford after the C-section where surgeons successfully removed two thirds of the 60mm tumour.

The 33-year-old remained in a coma while the surgery was carried out and didn’t show any signs of consciousness for three months. It wasn’t until the end of January when she started to show cyclical consciousness.

She was then transferred to Northwick Park rehab unit where she’s been recovering for three months, but the NHS have now deemed her lower priority. A reduction in rehabilitation therapy will slow her progress, which Scott fears could impact her recovery time.

He has set up a fundraiser in a bid to raise £500,000 for private treatment in the hope it will get Emma walking and talking again, and back home to her daughter. More than £25,000 has already been raised towards the cause.

He added that the surgeon’s prognosis was that with sustained physiotherapy, Emma could expect to make a sound recovery due to her age and the lack of brain damage, meaning she should be able to walk and talk, and ultimately come home “to be the mum she always dreamed of being”.

Scott, who’s been in a relationship with Emma for two and a half years, said: “The operation was successful but she’s been left with some long term impediments. From where the tumour burst, she is pretty much blind in her right eye, and the movement on her left side is expected to be limited to about 75%.

“She’s at the stage where she can communicate with head movements and her hands, we’ve even had a few tears. Although NHS staff have been amazing, due to a lack of beds, she will be moved into a lower intensity rehab programme, which I fear will impact her progress.

“I’m trying to get the money together so she can get the best treatment - I can tell how frustrated she is. She’s trapped in her own body - and I know all that she wants is to come home to her baby. Any donations would mean the world to us.”