A young bride’s honeymoon turned into a nightmare just days after her dream wedding when her husband suffered a catastrophic fallleaving him in a coma. Lauren Esper, 25, had married her long-time partner, Gabe Brown, 27, on September 21 in Pennsylvania. Their romantic honeymoon in Montego Bay, Jamaica, was meant to be the beginning of their new life together. However, just hours after arriving at his resort, Gabe slipped on the bathroom tiles, broke his spine and suffered a serious brain injury.
In an emotional account of the terrifying accident, Lauren shared the heartbreaking moment. that changed their lives forever. “We both wanted to go somewhere hot for our honeymoon, so Gabe suggested Jamaica, and neither of us had been there before,” Lauren explained. “We arrived at our resort around 4 pm and were in our room. “I went to take a nap and all of a sudden I heard Gabe gasp and then a loud thud.”
When Lauren ran to see what had happened, she was horrified to find Gabe lying on the bathroom floor having a seizure. She immediately ran towards him but slipped on the same slippery bathroom tiles. “He was bleeding from the mouth and shaking vigorously. I had never had a seizure before,” Lauren recalled, still shaken by the traumatic memory.
With adrenaline pumping through her, Lauren alerted the hotel staff and called an ambulance. Gabe was rushed to the nearest hospital in Jamaica, where doctors discovered that he had suffered a large brain bleed. His condition was so critical that he had to be transferred to another hospital for urgent surgery.
“I was literally fighting for Gabe’s life and it seemed like it was out of my hands,” Lauren said. “At one point, he almost collapsed. I was mentally preparing myself that Gabe was going to die in front of me. “I felt completely desperate.” After a long wait of seven and a half hours, Gabe was finally transported and underwent a four-hour surgery to stop the brain hemorrhage.
Despite the successful surgery, Gabe’s road to recovery was far from easy. Lauren arranged for Gabe to fly back to the US, but his transfer was delayed due to a hurricane. Once the weather cleared, Gabe was flown to Florida, where doctors discovered he had also broken a vertebra in his spine and needed a tracheostomy.
“He must have hit his back and then hit his head falling backwards,” Lauren speculated, explaining the strange nature of the accident. “It was a glazed tile, so it was quite slippery. “It wasn’t wet, but with the humidity it made it even more dangerous.”
Two months later, Gabe remains in a coma, having undergone two brain surgeries and one abdominal surgery. Lauren is hopeful that he will wake up, but the uncertainty over his recovery remains heavy. “He is still in a coma. It’s been almost two months. He has opened his mouth and can move his fingers and toes, but he is not conscious,” Lauren said. “Sometimes he is more alert and other times he is in a more unconscious state. “We’re just waiting for Gabe to wake up.”
Despite the ordeal, Lauren remains hopeful. “I think he can hear us, so I’ve been talking to him a lot,” she shared. “We don’t know what his recovery will be like, but I think he’s making progress toward awakening.”
The financial burden of medical bills has added to the stress, and Lauren has spent more than $27,000 on Gabe’s care since the accident. A family friend has started a fundraiser to help cover medical expenses and future rehabilitation costs. Through it all, Lauren holds on to the memory of her wedding, even as she faces the most difficult months of her life. “They have been the worst two months of my life. “I’m so glad we had our wedding and I’m still holding on to that,” she said.
Lauren’s story is one of heartbreak, resilience and hope as she continues to care for her husband, praying for his recovery and the future they once dreamed of together.