A young mother faces a life of uncertainty after her neck pain turns into a devastating eight-hour emergency operation.
Tilly, 24, was 38 weeks pregnant when she and her partner were rushed from their farm near Quambone, northern New South Wales, to Sydney for emergency surgery.
Her 25-year-old partner, Jarred, said Tilly had woken up with a sore neck on December 29, but initially dismissed it as normal pain.
“In the morning she had a little bit of neck pain, but she thought she slept wrong,” Jarred said.
'Around 5 p.m. I had to go into the paddock, she called me and just bawled her eyes out. She was in severe pain and could barely walk.”
The couple rushed 50km to Quambone Medical Center where Tilly was offered painkillers but told there was little else the doctor could do.
“It's just a small health care issue; one doctor and a few nurses are working all night,” Jarred said.
'The doctor gave her a few injections of painkillers and it must have all worked at once.
Tilly (pictured with baby Philippa) was 38 weeks pregnant when she was rushed to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital for emergency spinal surgery
Tilly's partner Jarred (pictured together) recalled having a sore neck before she called him sobbing and unable to walk properly
'She started shaking and her eyes rolled back in her head.
“After a while she started to calm down and said she couldn't feel anything from her chest down.”
The couple then spent two hours in the back of an ambulance en route to Dubbo Base Hospital Tilly was able to have an MRI done.
A spinal hematoma was found – blood pooled around her spine.
The couple were then flown to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, where Tilly had to undergo a caesarean section.
It was the only positive thing about the whole situation: their daughter, Philippa, was born completely healthy.
“She's just beautiful,” Jarred said.
“It's also fortunate, if she hadn't been healthy we would have been devastated.”
Tilly gave birth to Philippa (pictured with Jarred) via caesarean section before undergoing spinal surgery
During the same operation, Tilly had to undergo emergency spinal surgery.
“They had to cut the lump away so they could cut open Tilly's back,” Jarred said.
'Blood flowed from her T1 to T8 vertebrae, about 10 inches. They think she lost her function because it was pushing against her spinal cord, but they're not sure.
“So not only did she have a C-section, but she also had major spinal surgery right after nine months of growing a baby, so it's going to take a while for her to heal.”
Tilly's doctors and surgeons ran multiple tests but were unable to determine what caused the spinal bleeding.
She now has to recover for several months and there is a possibility that she will never be able to walk again.
Jarred is currently lying on a folding bed with Tilly and Philippa in the neurology department of the hospital.
They will likely spend at least three months there before completing the three to six months of rehabilitation at Ryde Hospital.
The farming couple (pictured) have now been waiting in Sydney for a year while Tilly recovers from a spinal hematoma and undergoes rehabilitation to regain some of her range of motion.
“We'll probably be here the rest of the year,” Jarred said.
“You know, we're first-time parents and we just want to be home as a family.”
Despite the sudden and drastic life change, Tilly has done her best to stay positive.
“Some days are good and some days are bad,” Jarred said.
“I'm just doing my best to keep her in the best head space possible.
“Having Philippa has given her purpose. She gets frustrated because she can't do everything but still breastfeed and change her.”
The couple extended their sincere thanks to the medical staff and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“They brought us here because they are the best of the best,” Jarred said.
Despite the sudden and drastic change in her life, Tilly (pictured) has done her best to stay positive and is grateful to have baby Philippa
'The staff have been amazing, they have all been so good to us.'
A friend of the couple has started a GoFundMe to help cover their medical bills, rehabilitation costs and accommodation in Sydney.
“Every donation will help ease the financial burden on our new favorite family, and we are deeply grateful for your generosity and support,” the statement said.
As of Saturday, it has raised more than $91,000.
'It's just great. It really shows how much a small town will get behind you,” Jarred said.
