It was supposed to be a magical Sunday for Jessica Guedes and Flavio Goncalves. However, things took a downturn when the would-be bride suffered a stroke that led to her demise.
Flavio Gonzalez, 31, was waiting for his fiance to arrive at the reception in a church in Sao Paulo for a long time. A relative informed him that the bride had arrived. However, she fell ill inside the limo.
“I was worried because I was waiting for her at the altar, and she was taking ages to come in,” he said.
According to her family, Jessica, 31, was suffering unexplained neck pains and dizziness. At first, they thought it was anxiety. However, later on, they would learn that those were symptoms of preeclampsia, a more severe illness that would cause her death.
Preeclampsia is a silent killer when gone unnoticed. This condition may trigger high blood pressure and the production of large amounts of protein, resulting in liver and kidney failure.
Flavio is a firefighter. And without hesitation, he tried to save his bride by performing first-aid on her. Nonetheless, his efforts were futile as doctors declared that the patient was brain dead upon arriving at a state maternity hospital in Sao Paulo. The doctors had trouble treating her condition and thus transferred her to a private hospital, Pro Matre Paulista Maternity Hospital.
Jessica, a nurse, has suffered a stroke that resulted in preeclampsia. The damage did not stop there. Per the medical report, she experienced internal bleeding; thus, the surgeons removed her uterus.
Realizing the severity of her condition, doctors prioritized saving her 29-week-old baby by performing an emergency Caesarian section. Jessica was already too weak and had died after the C-section.
“Jessica was attending prenatal care, had no high blood pressure during her pregnancy, and was healthy, doing physical activity and eating well,” Jessica’s relative shared.
The baby, Sophia, had to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for two months until she got strong enough to be taken out.
It was a day when Flavio had mixed emotions. He was grateful that her baby Sophia survived and at the same time grieving as it was the day when Jessica left him forever.
“The love of my life taught me how to respect and treat a woman well so that I could learn how to take care of our daughter. I still can’t believe this has happened. It seems like I’m in a sad movie, and you cry, cry, cry, but leave the movie theatre knowing it was just a movie. However, in my case, the movie will never be over, and the suffering will go on forever,” he shared.