Gaz Beadle’s wife Emma McVey admits she was afraid she wouldn’t wake up after life-saving heart surgery

Gaz Beadle’s wife, Emma McVey, has spoken about her fear of not waking up after having life-saving heart surgery earlier this year.

The model and influencer underwent open-heart surgery in January to repair three holes in her heart and her tricuspid valve, which controls blood flow between the right atrium and right ventricle.

But Emma recounted how she was terrified she would never see her Geordie Shore star husband, 35, and their two children again, sharing that she had “mentally prepared” to say her “last goodbye” when her family left her in Hospital.

She said Sun of his ordeal: ‘They came to the hospital to drop me off and Gary had to leave with the crying children after we said goodbye. That was the hardest part. I had to mentally prepare myself so that it could be my last goodbye.

‘I knew that in surgery I would be hooked up to a heart machine2 that would keep me alive while my heart was stopped, and I kept thinking, ‘They’re not going to be able to get my heart going again.’ I thought: “They are going to put me to sleep and I am not going to go out again.”

The doting mum, who shares Chester, five, and Primrose, three, with Gaz, recounted how she had prepared a special scavenger hunt for her children before leaving for hospital to “distract” them from her absence and also create a “happy memory ” her.

Emma, ​​who was born with three holes in her heart, also spoke about the tough recovery from the six-hour operation, which left her struggling to move and in immense pain.

She said: ‘He had a big tube in his neck with lots of wires coming out of it. I couldn’t sit up or move to the side and because the morphine made me sick, I didn’t want to push my morphine button so I probably wasn’t taking as much medication as I should have, which added to the pain.’

However, Emma’s recovery suffered a major setback as she then suffered a collapsed lung, which later triggered surgical emphysema, which is a rare lung condition in which air becomes trapped under the skin.

However, the beauty soon recovered, and six days later she was allowed to return home to her family.

Following her procedure, Emma took to her Instagram where she expressed her gratitude to the medical staff who helped her through her difficult time.

She wrote: ‘I came into this month with a healthy heart, I can never thank my surgeon, doctors, nurses and everyone else involved. I had 2 small holes, 1 large hole, and my tricuspid valve was repaired.

‘I’ve been given a new life to enjoy with my babies and they really don’t get the credit they deserve ♥️

“I’ve come this far since this photo 2 weeks ago right after this one was taken I was crying and throwing up unable to move my brother and mom just swapping buckets under my chin.

“On day 2 I was crying in pain trying to take a deep breath and cough, on day 3 wondering how I could get out of bed. Here I am now, I left the house yesterday and saw the children playing outside on their bikes and I have never been happier.

Emma, ​​who for years had suffered from seizures, exhaustion and fainting spells due to her condition and who also suffered from ulcerative colitis (an autoimmune intestinal disease in which the colon becomes inflamed and ulcers develop), was left with a scar from eight inches after his surgery. .

And since then, the star has been praised for normalizing scars after sharing a snapshot of her scar on social media.

Emma was adamant she didn’t want to ‘hide’ it from her children or on social media, saying she wants to show kids having heart surgery that a scar is ‘something to be proud of’.

Meanwhile, after making a full recovery, Emma shared her joy that she and Gaz can now try for a third baby, after learning that having their first two children could have been fatal due to the added strain it would have placed on them. she. heart.

She shared that she would like to have a third child “in the future,” but she’s not ready for a “kicking herself in the ribs” baby just yet.

She has previously spoken openly about her health issues, admitting they have resulted in dramatic weight loss and means she can’t have another child without heart surgery.

Explaining the situation in 2021, Emma shared: “I have three large holes in my heart and damaged tissue that is causing my blood to pass in the wrong direction, the right side of my heart is now enlarged and weak, along with high blood pressure. in my lungs

“This has all gotten much worse as they should have been closed when I was a kid, unfortunately no one checked my heart even when I had seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy or passed out like it was a hobby.”