By Janice McCafferty
CHICAGO — After seven rounds of intense and emotional IVF procedures, Stephanie Arnold became pregnant with her second child in October of 2012. All was fine until her 20th week ultrasound. Stephanie became overwhelmed with premonitions of her own death. She best explains this feeling as something that made every cell in her body feel like a ticking time bomb. She had no idea that what she was feeling would actually come true.
Her daughter Adina had been born 2 1/2 years earlier and delivered by C-Section, so she knew all too well exactly what to expect during the upcoming birth. Due to a placenta previa diagnosis and other factors that complicated her pregnancy, she knew that she needed to plan for the worst. However, it was the premonitions of doom that made planning a high priority. Rather than accepting bystander status, her husband Jonathan was able to step into the forefront as a key player to help her. As an economist, Jonathan realized he needed to set his analytical nature aside and focus on Stephanie’s worries. He knew that trusting Stephanie’s intuition as she cried out for someone to listen to her fears and premonitions was critical.
However, in everyone’s defense, there were no tests or medical books that could have been referenced to predict what was about to happen. All Stephanie had were the premonitions that had consumed her entire life. Though, the one difference between previous premonitions and what she experienced this time around was an overwhelming sense of foreboding. It was different from the traditional worries everyone experiences from time to time. The feeling that she would die, including details like the placenta marrying itself to the uterus, hemorrhaging, needing a hysterectomy and her son living while she pictured her own demise penetrated her daily existence and motivated her to get anyone and everyone to listen.
She sought out specialists and had consultations all the while never having a “positive” test result. Scared no one could do anything for her, she posted messages on Facebook and even sent goodbye letters. As her delivery neared, she was fortunate enough to have one or two people listen to her due to her persistence and it saved her life.
Her mission has become to spread the message, “If you SENSE something, SAY something”. And, if no one listens, you say it again, and again and again!
During her pregnancy, Stephanie surrounded herself with the best medical professionals and those familiar with what she was going through. All were convinced and conveyed to her that what she was afraid of would not happen, and that the probability of it happening was slim to none. Fortunately, she refused to settle for that and persisted on. Stephanie assumed people thought she was just hormonal and presumed doctors thought she was an annoying patient, but it couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Later, she learned that doctors do take premonitions and fear incredibly seriously. Unfortunately, many patients don’t speak up, so their doctors never know about their concerns. “They can’t read your mind or your spirit. You know them much better than they ever could and you know yourself and your needs even better,” says Arnold.
On May 30, 2013 at 7:30am Stephanie was at home when she suddenly started to hemorrhage. Her husband Jonathan was in New York working as the Chief Economist for the NY Attorney General’s office when she called him and told him “we are having this baby today. Get on a plane, NOW!” Stephanie went into maternal instinct mode, strapped Adina to her car seat and drove herself to the hospital for her emergency C-Section. In the middle of delivering their son Jacob, she coded – flat-lined with all electrical signs of life gone! Stephanie was clinically dead for 37 seconds and was kept on life support in a protective coma for 6 days until she stabilized. Her body was riddled with tubes, ports, and monitoring equipment and she had to undergo dialysis to rid her body of the edema. However, they saved her life and brought her back. Today, Stephanie and Jacob suffer no permanent damage, making them a true medical miracle.
Her ob-gyn, Dr. Julie Levitt, and the anesthesiologist diagnosed her with an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) – a condition where the amniotic fluid enters the mother’s bloodstream, triggering anaphylactic shock, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest and death. This occurs when the mother happens to be allergic to the amniotic cells. However, the condition is very rare, occurring in roughly 1 in 15,200 pregnancies. In fact, AFE is so rare that Stephanie’s case was the first in the history of their practice. And, while incidences are low, the condition is the second leading cause of maternal death in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Coming on in two phases, AFE is extremely catastrophic. In Phase 1, the patient goes into cardiac arrest, the lungs shut down and the body goes into complete shock. Roughly 40% of patients do not make it through this phase, however, Stephanie coded here and lived to tell the tale. Those lucky enough to make it past Phase 1, then have another uphill battle to fight. The AFE stops the blood’s clotting capability, so many patients hemorrhage to death. Due to these factors, it’s currently believed that as many as 85% of AFE patients do not make it out of the operating room. Stephanie credits her survival to her foresight and the conversations she had with her anesthesiologist leading up to Jacob’s birth. Unbeknownst to her, the anesthesiologist flagged her file and included extra blood, a crash cart and more monitors. “That is 100 percent what saved my life,” says Arnold.
After clinically dying and being resurrected, Stephanie has been given a second chance and wants to make every moment count. She says she has good days and bad days – many times feeling survivors guilt and wondering why she was chosen to live. Because of this, she makes sure she is totally present in every second of her life. She values every interaction she has with others because she believes any day above ground is a good day and she is more empathetic than ever.
She often reflects back to being in the ICU, obese with fluid from edema, and recovering from a tragic AFE. The inability to hold her newborn, let alone spend time with her daughter or her stepdaughter because she was not coherent is something she will never forget. She has learned that her family is the most important thing to her and that her husband will always be there for her. His love and his support got her through every single day. According to Stephanie, “I was on low voltage with my intuition because people would look at me like I was a freak if I talked about things I saw. After losing all electricity in my body, I am now on high voltage or supercharged and won’t allow anyone to make me feel like a freak when I sense something. Remember, ‘If you SENSE something, SAY something’.” “What is the worst thing that can happen? I am wrong?” Arnold continues, “I would have love to have been wrong in my case. But on the off chance I am right, it might save a life. It saved mine.”
According to Stephanie, “They say it takes a village and in my case, it did”. Neighbors were there for her and her family. The Jewish community came together and prayed while other communities also joined in. One doctor said she couldn’t give her a medical reason why she survived, so she needed to “go spiritual on this one.” And, she was right as her family leaned heavily on the prayers of the community and its spiritual leaders. Gematria also played a role in her survival. As Rabbi Chaim Mentz said “The numbers were always there to ensure your survival.” On the breathing apparatus keeping Stephanie alive, the number 18 was emblazoned on the machine. She had died for 37 seconds, Rabbi Mentz also relayed the information: The letters Zayin Lamed are on every Jewish tombstone. They announce who is present in this gravesite. Those letters, numerically, translate to 37. Zayin Lamed = Zecher L’vrocho = this person should be remembered for a blessing. 37 = this incident should be remembered for a blessing for all.
In her “previous” life, Stephanie worked for Lubavitch, as a successful television producer she produced Jewish educational documentaries, including one about the Rebbe Menachem Schneerson (SP). She is also known for covering the story rather than being the news, Stephanie’s multi-talented 27 year television career generated her Emmy and Premio Lo Nuestro Nominations and a Telly-Award. She has directed and produced numerous television series, reality shows, music videos and documentaries.
In her private life she has been a member of Chabad for many years and was approved to receive a New Hebrew name by the leadership of 770 through her Rabbi’s inquest because of her miraculous story of death and rebirth. Instead of being recognized as Sarah, she is now known as Chaya Sarah.
For more information about AFE’s and the research being done, please go to www.AFESUPPORT.org for the latest as they are more up to date than your doctors. And check out afemom.org for up to date information on Chaya Sarah’s journey and to connect directly with her.
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Preceding provided by www.afemom.org
www.afemom.org
I have to confess I was just blown away reading this, because the same thing happened to me in 1980.
During my third pregnancy I became overwhelmed with fear and foreboding. My pregnancy was going along well and I loved being pregnant! Reviewing my nursing school book on obstetrics, I came to the one paragraph covering AFE. That was my far-away obsessive fear. I wish I had told my doctor.
During delivery I had an AFE and praise God both my daughter and I survived, although I know that I had lost a few million brain cells.
Thank you for telling your story, women and doctors need to listen to these gut feelings.
Thanks for sharing and a very heart-warming article. I think you are alive because you are honest. As a fellow survivor, one can say that living is the best thing you can do. All the best to you, your lovely kids and spouse and family. Stay healthy!
Living is the best medicine. Thank you for taking the time to comment.