I was fit and healthy before I suffered a devastating stroke at 30 that left me in a coma and took the life of my unborn son – and it can happen to anyone

A fit and healthy Australian mother was living her dream life when she suffered a catastrophic stroke that left her in a coma and claimed the life of her unborn baby.

Nicole Gallacher from Melbourne was 22 weeks pregnant with her first child and everything seemed to be going according to plan; there were no signs of health problems.

But one morning in March 2020, she suffered a sudden stroke. She later discovered it was caused by an “unusual and undetectable” cardiovascular condition in her brain.

The now 34-year-old woke up in hospital two weeks later after being put into a coma. Her son did not survive.

Nicole had to learn to walk again and continues to receive physical therapy for her balance and movement. Despite this, she tells FEMAIL that she considers herself lucky.

Nicole woke up that Thursday morning in March feeling “completely normal.”

She took some time off from her job as an elementary school teacher because she was in the early stages of her first pregnancy and wanted to protect her health as Covid began to sweep the country.

‘It was about 10.30am and suddenly I got a really bad headache and couldn’t stop vomiting. “I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew I needed help,” she said.

Nicole tried to call Dave, but he was at work, so she called her parents. She fainted while on the phone with her father and her mother quickly called an ambulance to her house.

She was rushed to Austin Hospital, where doctors determined she had suffered a stroke due to arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in her brain that had ruptured.

Nicole’s condition was so critical that she had to give birth to her son, Ned, at 22 weeks to save her life. Unfortunately, Ned did not survive the birth.

Doctors then spent eight hours operating on Nicole’s brain to remove the AVM she never knew she had because there were no signs or symptoms.

Nicole’s condition was so dire that she was subsequently connected to life support and Dave was told to prepare for the worst as doctors were unsure if she would survive the night.

But overnight, the mother made a miraculous turn of events.

“The doctor said to David, ‘Medically I have no explanation, Nicole’s numbers have improved dramatically. We’re actually going to take her off the machine because she doesn’t need it,'” Nicole said.

Although she was taken off life support, she still required a breathing tube.

Nicole came out of her coma with no memory of what had happened since she passed out on the phone with her father two weeks earlier.

“Doctors prepared Dave and said, ‘Look, we don’t know what to expect, we don’t know if Nicole is going to have brain damage and what’s going on,’” she recalled.

She couldn’t talk because of the breathing tube, but found a way to communicate with Dave.

“David and I had a code where we would squeeze hands in front of people so they wouldn’t hear us talking. “If you squeezed three times it would mean I love you,” she said.

‘When he stood next to my bed, I would squeeze his hand three times so that he realized that I remembered. He knew I was still dealing with it when I came out.”

Due to her ‘fragile condition’ and ‘questionable’ condition, Dave had to keep the news of Nicole’s pregnancy from her while she had the breathing tube in.

‘I kept gesturing to my stomach and he had to ignore me. He said it was the hardest few days,” she said.

‘I knew I wasn’t pregnant with Ned anymore because I couldn’t feel him. Dave hadn’t felt any kicks yet, but I felt them inside. I wasn’t pregnant, but I didn’t know exactly what happened to him.’

Nicole then had to undergo further surgery on her brain to completely remove the AVM.

“They couldn’t complete the procedure the day I went in because I was just too weak, but the surgery was successful,” she said.

The mass of blood vessels was successfully removed, making her risk of a second stroke the same as anyone else.

She was then transferred to a rehabilitation center for four months, where she had to learn to walk again.

‘I had eight weeks without visitors as it was the height of Covid. Not even Dave,” she said.

‘We could FaceTime and that was it. He was standing by the window and I was standing on the other side and I thought, this is bullshit, I don’t want to be part of this,” she said.

Nicole was told her recovery was expected to take three years and her main concern was whether she would be able to have children again.

‘I was completely beside myself. I was devastated, but now I realize in retrospect that I simply couldn’t have children during those years. “I thought I would stay like this for three years, but it actually meant I would gradually improve over time,” she said.

During rehabilitation, she regained her function sufficiently to be discharged at the end of August 2020.

Nicole needed a walker and a cane to get around, but she’s thankful the damage from the stroke wasn’t more severe.

Her memory and personality were unaffected, but she still has problems with her balance, walking and mobility in her right hand.

Nicole could have children again, but it would be considered high risk and she would have to deliver by caesarean section.

‘That gave me so much relief. The fact that it was still possible gave us some hope and when you’re in a situation like that, hope is so important,” she said.

Nicole started trying to have another baby as soon as possible, but it took eight months for her to become pregnant.

She said it was her body’s way of waiting until she was physically and mentally ready.

Nicole and Dave’s son, Angus Michael Andrew, nicknamed Gus, was born in December 2022 and named after the surgeons, paramedics and ICU doctors who saved the mother’s life.

Her physical limitations do not hinder motherhood. Nicole said she can meet all of Gus’ needs, albeit with some adjustments.

She can’t carry Gus while walking, so she uses a travel stroller around the house – a job that becomes increasingly challenging as he begins to move and reaches his toddler years.

The mother said the ordeal has taught her gratitude and patience and that she considers herself “lucky” to have a happy, healthy child and a loving husband.

“Our world just turned completely upside down, but not once did I think Dave wouldn’t be there. “I couldn’t have done it without him,” she said.

“It’s really important to try to focus on the positive things because if I focused on the negative things I would never get out of bed in the morning.”

Nicole continues to receive regular physiotherapy and her condition is slowly but surely improving.

She also has mild tachycardia, an elevated heart rate, and is taking medications to keep her heart rate and blood pressure down.

The Heart Research Institute is currently conducting groundbreaking research into cardiovascular diseases to better understand how and why they occur and how they can be prevented.

“If I knew in advance (about my AVM), my life would be completely different and that’s why this research is so important: it could really change someone’s life,” Nicole said.