Social media influencer Jackie Miller James underwent brain surgery and an emergency C-section at the same time after an aneurysm ruptured one week before her due date.
James experienced "severe brain bleeding" and was put in a medically-induced coma where she remained as of May 31, according to a GoFundMe page created by James’ two sisters. (TODAY.com verified the validity of the GoFundMe page with a spokesperson for the fundraising platform.)
She is expected to be kept in the intensive care unit for weeks and in the hospital for months, her family wrote on the page.
James had a baby girl, who was hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit for 12 days due to the “traumatic” nature of her birth, the family said. On the fundraising page, the family shared a photo of James comatose with her newborn daughter on her chest.
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Aneurysms occur when a blood vessel bulges or expands due to a weakened artery wall, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Many times, people do not know they have one unless it bursts, a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Unruptured aneurysms occur in about 2% to 5% of healthy people.
According to the GoFundMe listing, James was found by her husband and rushed to the hospital immediately.
"If Jackie and the baby arrived a few minutes later at the hospital, we likely would have lost both of them," her sisters wrote.
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The family is "optimistic" that James can "beat the odds."
"While the road will be long, we are committed to bringing Jackie home to her daughter and husband," the sisters wrote. TODAY.com has reached out to James’ family for further comment on her condition.
At the time of publication, the online fundraiser has received more than $146,000 towards it goal of $250,000, which is intended to cover healthcare costs outside of insurance, including for speech therapy, physical therapy and home modifications.
James has about 30,000 Instagram followers, including Sofia Richie and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, and is known for posting beauty and relationship content. According to her page, she married in 2022 and announced her pregnancy on social media four months ago.
James posted updates about her pregnancy throughout, from the symptoms she didn't expect to candid reflections on motherhood.
To mark 33 weeks on April 5, James penned a caption about feeling simultaneous anxiety and excitement.
"How strange to be so excited and feel so ready but at the same time feel so nervous and unsure of yourself. But how special are the moments when I get out of the shower and actually take time to stare in the mirror in awe of what my body is capable of and laugh in absolute shock of the reality that our baby girl is inside my tummy," she wrote in the caption.
James' latest post was on May 18, a carousel of pictures of her holding her baby bump.
"39 Weeks," she wrote in the caption, with a pink bow emoji.
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