Kelsie Jade McHugh is on the waiting list for a bowel transplant following a series of serious medical episodes including a heart attack an hour after giving birth
A new mum has been told she has just a year to live after suffering a heart attack an hour after giving birth.
Kelsie Jade McHugh had been trying to have a child with her husband Danny for eight years, so when she fell pregnant they were both overjoyed. However, when her baby’s heart stopped 31 weeks into the pregnancy, the longed-for situation became a nightmare.
On October 9, 2022 Kelsie had to undergo an emergency C-section, which saw her baby daughter Renae successfully delivered. Just an hour later, she suffered a heart attack and was immediately rushed back into surgery. Since then, Kelsie has been battling a series of extreme health issues including weight loss, fatigue and nausea, Manchester Evening News reported.
Now, in a terrible blow for the mum and her family, doctors have told her she must have an urgent bowel transplant to survive. Not only was her bladder torn during labour, Kelsie has cystic fibrosis, making her medical situation that much more difficult to manage.
The young mum then suffered from bowel poisoning, leading to intestinal failure. Months later, she began experiencing extreme fatigue and nausea. She found it difficult to keep food down and her weight plummeted. By May, her hair started falling out and she weighed a mere seven stone.
When doctors examined her at Wythenshawe Hospital, they found a ‘big mass’ in the Oldham woman’s small intestine, meaning she had to be hooked up to a TPN (total parenteral nutrition) machine for sustenance. She was then transferred to Salford Royal Hospital for surgery, which took place in October.
Kelsie recalled: “I thought ‘this is it, I’m going to get my operation and I’m going to feel so much better… it’s going to be amazing, I’m going to be able to go home and start my life’.”
By this point the mum had shrunk to just five stone and needed a stoma fitted for the first time. Just before she was due to be discharged on December 11, Kelsie experienced ‘really bad pains’ in her stomach and noticed a lump. The mass in her small intestine had ruptured.
“The next minute my husband and mum were at the hospital saying their goodbyes to me and I was scared as hell. I was told my bowel had ruptured and that I needed to be taken down to theatre immediately,” Kelsie said.
After a gruelling seven-hour surgery, the mum had another stoma fitted and was informed she would need to rely on a TPN machine for the rest of her life. The next January Kelsie contracted sepsis and, just weeks later, began suffering from extreme fatigue. She learned her potassium levels were plummeting to such an extent that she was at risk of a heart attack. After the many traumatic medical episodes, Kelsie has been left with just 20cm of her three-metre small bowel remaining.
Then hospitalised with a failed pancreas, she became insulin-dependent as her kidney, liver, and heart began to fail. Within just seven days, doctors delivered the grim prognosis of multiple organ failure, leaving her with only a year to live. Now desperately needing a bowel transplant to save her life and potentially rescue her other organs, Kelsie is enduring the agonising wait to be added to the transplant list. She shared her fears: “It’s just a waiting game, that’s the hardest bit it’s out of our hands. It all comes down to unfortunately who passes away and who’s a match. I could be on the list for months and then may never get the call.”
Reflecting on the devastating diagnosis and how it has impacted the family, Kelsie said: “I was just in shock, I didn’t want to believe it. I thought this was going to fix me, I was told everything was going to be alright. I’ve got a little girl I absolutely adore and knowing she might not have her mum growing up absolutely breaks my heart. The thought of death doesn’t scare me, it’s the thought of leaving her and Danny. All I wanted to be growing up was a mum. They’re talking about end of life plans and I don’t feel ready, I’ve only just turned 30.”
In response to her situation, a GoFundMe page has been set up, featuring a bucket list of experiences Kelsie hopes to enjoy.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
