Rare condition left new mum fighting for life

A mother who was told she might not survive emergency surgery to deliver her baby said listening to her body ultimately saved her life.

Lucy, from Jersey, was 21-years-old and 26 weeks pregnant when she suddenly began feeling unwell. She was taken to hospital where tests revealed she was critically ill.

She was airlifted to Portsmouth for emergency surgery to deliver her baby. "There was a chance I wouldn't wake up from the surgery," she said. Her daughter was delivered at just 26 weeks weighing 1lb 6oz (0.62kg) and kept on a ventilator for more than three months.

Lucy was later diagnosed with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a condition which causes dangerous blood clots.

When Lucy woke her first question was whether her newly born baby was going to be okay.

Doctors initially believed Lucy had a pregnancy-related condition but her health continued to decline after the birth.

She needed multiple blood transfusions and was transferred to a specialist hospital in Southampton, leaving her newborn daughter behind in Portsmouth after spending just five minutes with her.

After multiple tests doctors finally diagnosed Lucy with the rare genetic condition thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a disorder that causes dangerous blood clots throughout the body.

A CT scan also later showed she had suffered a stroke in the weeks before her diagnosis.

Lucy spent two weeks in intensive care while her daughter remained in a neonatal care unit.

She said support from her family helped her through it all.

"I couldn't have done it without them," she said.

She added Family First helped her and her family massively during that time financially and it "took a massive weight off their shoulders" by paying for accommodation and flights.

Doctors confirmed Lucy's condition was genetic and would require lifelong treatment.

Now she attends hospital every week for treatment and regular blood tests, and believes she is the only known person in Jersey living with the condition.

Despite being told future pregnancies would be high-risk, she went on to have a second child.

She said her two children, now three and two, were her biggest motivation.

"They get me up every morning," she said.

Lucy, now 25, hopes her story encourages others to trust their instincts when something doesn't feel right.

"If you feel something is wrong, speak up and keep pushing for answers," she said.

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