After struggling for years to get pregnant, he and his wife were finally expecting a child. But now, the new mother is hospitalized and the newborn is in intensive care.
Casey Pruitt and his wife Cynthia are nearing their sixth anniversary. After years of trying, through IVF the couple became pregnant.
"When we heard we were pregnant, we were super excited," Pruitt told Eyewitness News.
But at 27 weeks, Cynthia became ill and the pregnancy began taking a toll on her body.
"They immediately started running tests," said Pruitt. "They got some chest x-rays of her. They saw some fluids in the base of her lungs and they thought maybe it was pneumonia. And within about an hour, her lungs had filled up with fluid."
She and her baby nearly died.
"I didn't think she would make it," said Pruitt. "I thought I would lose both of them that day. We wanted a baby so bad. But at that time, I just wanted my wife."
Thanks to doctors and nurses, both survived. However, Cynthia was in a coma for days. She awoke Friday, April 19, meanwhile, baby Camila Rose is still in neonatal intensive care.
"She saw the baby for the first time and it completely changed her," said Pruitt about his wife. "She stared at her. She held her hand. It was really awesome to get her over there to see her."
There are still hurdles for both, but they are improving and Casey says he is thankful.
"I can't wait for us all to be home together," he said.
Their friends and family are raising funds for them, and spreading their story, on GoFundMe to help them with ongoing medical expenses.
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