A bride feared she would be widowed just days after her wedding when her new husband fell into a coma during their honeymoon.
Lauren Esper had been married to her long-term partner, Gabe Brown, for four days when he suffered a catastrophic fall during their honeymoon in Jamaica.
The couple married on September 21 in Pennsylvania after five years together, followed by a romantic getaway to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
However, just hours after arriving at his resort, Gabe, 27, slipped on the hotel bathroom tiles, breaking his spine and suffering a large bleed on his brain.
Lauren, a 25-year-old graphic designer, rushed her new husband to the nearest hospital, where she was told he needed urgent surgery to stop the bleeding.
After Gabe was transferred to another hospital in Jamaica, the software engineer underwent a four-hour surgery before arrangements were made to take him back to the US.
Gabe has since undergone two brain surgeries and one abdominal surgery and remains in a coma two months after his accident.
Lauren, who lives in Pennsylvania, described her honeymoon as a “nightmare” but remains hopeful that her new husband will wake up and they can finally begin married life.
New bride Lauren Esper feared she would be widowed just four days after her wedding when her husband Gabe Brown was left in a coma after slipping during their honeymoon.
Lauren said: ‘We both wanted to go somewhere hot for our honeymoon so Gabe suggested Jamaica and neither of us had been there before.
‘We arrived at our resort around 4pm and were in our room. “I went to take a nap and was lying in bed when I suddenly heard Gabe gasp and then a loud thud,” she continued.
“I immediately woke up and thought he might have left some luggage and asked him if he was okay, but I didn’t hear a response.
‘It was an open concept room, so I could see that Gabe was lying on the bathroom floor having a seizure. I ran out of bed and actually slipped on the tiles.
‘He was bleeding from the mouth and shaking vigorously. I had never had a seizure before. I was trying to stay as calm as possible.
Lauren quickly alerted hotel staff before calling an ambulance where Gabe was taken to the nearest hospital.
There, Lauren was told that Gabe had suffered a large bleed on his brain and needed to be transferred to another hospital for surgery.
She said: “I was literally fighting for Gabe’s life and it seemed like it was out of my hands.” They finally got Gabe into surgery seven and a half hours after his fall.
Just hours after arriving at his resort, Gabe, 27, slipped on the hotel bathroom tiles, breaking his spine and suffering a large hemorrhage on his brain.
Gabe has since been transferred to a facility in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he underwent a second brain surgery and remains in a coma.
‘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.
“I was crying on the phone to my dad telling him that Gabe was dying and it was life or death. “I felt like I was letting Gabe down.”
After a four-hour surgery, Gabe was taken back to the first hospital, where he remained in the intensive care unit and was put on a ventilator.
Lauren arranged for her new husband to fly from Jamaica back to the US, but this was delayed due to the hurricane at the time.
Once the weather cleared, Gabe was flown to Florida, where doctors discovered he had broken a vertebra in his spine and needed a tracheostomy.
Lauren said: “They think when he fell he hit his back and must have hit his head falling backwards.” I think he just fell backwards, which would make sense why he gasped and looked like he didn’t brace himself at all.
‘It was a glazed tile, so it was quite slippery, it wasn’t wet. When I ran towards him, I even slipped. It’s very humid outside, so I don’t know if that’s related. It’s such a strange accident.
Gabe has since been transferred to a facility in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he underwent a second brain surgery and remains in a coma.
Gabe is still in a coma and racking up medical debt.
Lauren said: ‘He’s still in a coma. It’s been almost two months. He has opened his mouth, he can move his fingers and toes, but he is not conscious. Sometimes you are more alert and other times you are in a more unconscious state.
‘I don’t know what his memory will be like and what he will have to relearn. It’s really just a waiting game. We’re all waiting for Gabe to wake up. I think he can hear us, so I’ve been talking to him a lot.
“We don’t know what his recovery will be like or if there will be permanent damage. I think he is recovering to wake up.
Despite having travel insurance and primary medical care, Lauren has had to shell out more than $28,000 in medical bills for Gabe’s care since his accident two months ago.
A family friend subsequently launched a fundraiser to help with hospital bills and any rehabilitation costs Gabe may need in the future.
‘We were only married four days before this happened. “It’s been the worst two months of my life,” Lauren said.
“I’m so happy we had our wedding and I’m still holding on to that and we were able to get married, but the first two months have been horrible.”