Home Australia Tilly was heavily pregnant when she woke up one morning with neck pain. She thought it was just from ‘sleeping wrong’… but now the 24-year-old is facing permanent paralysis

Tilly was heavily pregnant when she woke up one morning with neck pain. She thought it was just from ‘sleeping wrong’… but now the 24-year-old is facing permanent paralysis

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Tilly (pictured with baby Philippa) was 38 weeks pregnant when she was rushed to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital for emergency spinal surgery.

A young mother faces a life of uncertainty after her neck pain turned into a devastating eight-hour emergency surgery.

Tilly, 24, was 38 weeks pregnant when she and her partner were rushed from their farm near Quambone, northern New South Wales, to Sydney for emergency surgery.

Her partner of 25 years, Jarred, said Tilly had woken up with neck pain on December 29, but initially dismissed it as an ordinary pain.

“In the morning he had a little pain in his neck, but he thought he must have slept badly,” Jarred said.

‘Around five in the afternoon I had to go out to the paddock, she called me and was crying out loud. I was in severe pain and could barely walk.’

The couple ran 50 kilometers to Quambone Medical Centre, where Tilly was offered painkillers but was told there was not much more the doctor could do.

“It’s just a small health service: a doctor and a couple of nurses all night long,” Jarred said.

‘The doctor gave him a couple of injections of painkillers and everything must have taken effect immediately.

Tilly (pictured with baby Philippa) was 38 weeks pregnant when she was rushed to Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital for emergency spinal surgery.

Tilly's partner Jarred (pictured together) recalled her neck hurting before calling him sobbing and unable to walk properly.

Tilly’s partner Jarred (pictured together) recalled her neck hurting before calling him sobbing and unable to walk properly.

‘She started to shake and her eyes rolled back in her head.

“After a while he started to calm down and said he couldn’t feel anything from his chest down.”

The couple then spent two hours in the back of an ambulance heading to Dubbo Base Hospital, where Tilly was able to get an MRI.

He found a spinal hematoma: blood pooled around his spine.

The couple were then airlifted to Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital, where Tilly had to undergo an emergency caesarean section.

It was the only positive thing about the whole situation: their baby, Philippa, was born perfectly healthy.

“She’s just beautiful,” Jarred said.

“It’s also good luck, if she wasn’t healthy, she would have ruined us.”

Tilly gave birth to Philippa (pictured with Jarred) via Caesarean section before undergoing spinal surgery

Tilly gave birth to Philippa (pictured with Jarred) via Caesarean section before undergoing spinal surgery

During the same operation, Tilly had to undergo emergency spinal surgery.

“They had to cut Bub open to open Tilly’s back,” Jarred said.

‘The blood went from his T1 to T8 vertebrae, about 25 cm. They think he lost function because it was pressing against his spinal cord, but they’re not really sure.

“So not only did she have a C-section, but she also had major spinal surgery right after having a baby for nine months, so it’s going to take a while to heal.”

Tilly’s doctors and surgeons have performed multiple tests but have been unable to determine what caused the spinal hemorrhage.

He now faces several months of recovery and the possibility of never walking again.

Currently, Jarred is sheltered with Tilly and Philippa in a folding bed in the hospital’s neurology ward.

They are likely to spend at least three months there before completing three to six months of rehabilitation at Ryde Hospital.

The farming couple (pictured) now face a year in Sydney while Tilly recovers from a spinal hematoma and undergoes rehabilitation to regain some of her movement.

The farming couple (pictured) now face a year in Sydney while Tilly recovers from a spinal hematoma and undergoes rehabilitation to regain some of her movement.

“We’ll probably be here for the rest of the year,” Jarred said.

“You know, we’re new parents and we just want to be home as a family.”

Despite the sudden and drastic life change, Tilly has done her best to maintain a positive attitude.

“Some days are good and some days are bad,” Jarred said.

‘I just do my best to keep her in the best headspace possible.

‘Having Philippa has given him his purpose. He gets frustrated because he can’t do everything, but he can still breastfeed and change her.’

The couple shared a huge thank you to the medical staff and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

“They brought us here because they are the best of the best,” Jarred said.

Despite the sudden and drastic life change, Tilly (pictured) has done her best to stay positive and is grateful to have baby Philippa.

Despite the sudden and drastic life change, Tilly (pictured) has done her best to stay positive and is grateful to have baby Philippa.

“The staff have been fantastic, everyone has been very good to us.”

A friend of the couple has started a GoFundMe to help cover their medical bills, rehabilitation costs and accommodation while in Sydney.

“Every donation will help ease the financial pressure on our new favorite family and we are deeply grateful for their generosity and support,” she said.

It has raised more than $91,000 since Saturday.

‘It’s just amazing. It really shows how much a small town will support you,” Jarred said.

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