A Difficult Situation
Nothing hurts more than witnessing our loved ones suffer and feeling completely powerless to help. In an ironic twist, a husband was put in a very difficult situation. A pregnant woman who tested positive for COVID-19 was hospitalised and placed on a ventilator.
When her condition worsened, the doctors called her husband and presented him with a difficult decision.
Doting Parents
Christina and Nick Jones of Nelson, Caerphilly, Wales, were already parents to two children, Nicky, 15, and Honey, 10, when they learned they were expecting their third child. The couple was overjoyed and eager to embrace parenthood once more.
But their road to happiness wasn't always so smooth.
Past Tragedy
Before becoming pregnant, the couple had already lost a baby three months into the pregnancy when doctors couldn't detect a heartbeat. They were devastated by the miscarriage.
The Joneses hoped that this time the pregnancy would go smoothly and that their life would be filled with endless happiness. But the worse was yet to come.
Tested Positive
It was the time when the COVID pandemic was at its peak. On February 18, 2021, Christina who was pregnant with their fourth child had tested positive for COVID-19. She was isolated immediately after the detection.
When she started having breathing difficulties she was taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.
Critical Condition
Chris, then 39-year-old, was 30 weeks into pregnancy. She was kept on oxygen for four days and was monitored constantly. But her condition didn't get any better. Instead, it got worse.
On March 1, 2021, she was put on a ventilator. Worried about her critical condition, the doctors called her husband, Nick.
Emergency Operation
Doctors informed Nick that they planned to deliver the baby via emergency C-section and that he would be required to sign the necessary paperwork. Nick, who was 45 at the time, recalls being scared and frightened when he arrived at the hospital.
Things became even scarier for him when he was greeted by a surgeon and a grief counsellor.
Choices Given
Nick was informed about his wife's condition. She wasn't in good condition and she was "as ill as you can possibly get." The only way to possibly save her life was to deliver the baby early. This could put the life of the baby in danger.
They presented him with a choice no one should ever have to make before surgery: save his wife or save his baby.
Save My Wife
How could he make such a decision? Nonetheless, with a heavy heart, he begged the doctors to save his wife's life. Nick wore a hazmat suit with an oxygen supply and went to meet his wife.
Nick spoke to his wife, who was in a coma, amid the unusual conditions. He remembered: "At that point, how ill Chris looked, I really thought it was going to take a miracle."
Premature Birth
And a miracle did happen. Their daughter was born through C-section on March 2, 2021, exactly two months before her due date, weighing only 3 pounds and six ounces.
She was brought to a separate room right away because she was born to a COVID-positive mother.
Critical Care
Things were hard for the family. Both the mother and newborn were in critical care. The baby was moved to The Grange Hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales, for five days shortly after birth.
Nick couldn't see his daughter since she needed two COVID-19 tests to be negative, but the hospital sent him daily images of her.
Angle Baby
Nick and the kids chose to name the baby "Angel Grace Hope-Jones", with "Angel" being a temporary name at first. Christina was unconscious at that time. Nick was heartbroken since he couldn't see his wife while she was very ill in the hospital.
But then soon the next miracle happened, pulling the family out of the months-long bout of sadness.
Mother Came Out Of Coma
Christina regained consciousness on March 8, 2021. However, she said that she had no recollection of being pregnant. By then Angel had been transferred to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr, Wales.
Nick had only spent ten minutes with his daughter before she was taken away.
Mother Finally Meets The Daughter
Christina, on the other hand, stayed in the ICU and struggled to walk and readjust to her new existence. She finally met her baby girl after two weeks.
Despite their separation, Christina and Angel bonded well and created an instant relationship.
Getting Back To Normal
After learning that her daughter, Honey, chose her baby girl's temporary name, Chris kept it. Christina also expressed her concern for her husband, who suffers from diabetes and a rare kidney illness.
Being the least susceptible to the infection she never imagined she'd be the one to contract COVID-19.
Happy Birthday Little Angel
One year later, on March 2, 2022, the Joneses celebrated tiny Angel's first birthday. The mother of three described how the previous year had been a "physical, mental, and emotional rollercoaster" for her and her family.
She stated, "Lots of people have had Covid but, for me, I'm always going to have an anniversary to remind me of when I had it because of Angel's birthday."