In 2010, Holly Gerlach and her husband were expecting their first child. Finally, on January 6, 2011, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Three weeks later, however, everything changed. Holly developed a rare autoimmune disorder and when her daughter was just 20 days old, Holly became completely paralyzed from the neck down. This is her inspiring story. (1)
Mom Gives Birth To A Healthy Baby, 3 Weeks Later Is Completely Paralyzed
Holly and her husband were overjoyed at the birth of their healthy baby girl. They spent the next three weeks happily at home learning how to be new parents. One day, they were filming their daughter who was just learning to hold her head up. Holly noticed that one of her fingertips was a bit numb, but thought nothing of it.
“It kind of felt like the tingling when you burn yourself, and I figured that I must have burnt myself on something earlier and didn’t pay any more attention to it.” she wrote in her book Happily Ever After. (2)
She later began feeling really tired and weak. The feeling was similar to that of catching the flu. Unfortunately, her weakness got worse rapidly. Her doctors diagnosed her with a rare autoimmune disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), and within 72 hours the new mom was completely paralyzed from the neck down. It was so bad, she was unable to talk or even breathe on her own.
Read: 2-year-old immediately calms crying baby sister in viral video
What Is Guillain-Barre Syndrome?
GBS is a rare neurological disorder in which your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks part of its peripheral nervous system. These are the nerves that are located outside of the brain and spinal cord. It can cause anything from mild weakness to full-blown paralysis, as in Holly’s case. Thankfully, most people do recover. (3)
GBS affects about 100,000 people around the world each year. It affects more adults and older people, however, it can happen at any age and to both males and females. Thankfully, most people do recover, even in the most severe cases, though some may always have a bit of weakness afterward.
What Causes GBS?
Scientists and doctors still do not know what causes GBS to occur. They have a theory that the immune system is activated to fight an infection. The thought is that this infection involves some chemicals on the infecting bacteria or viruses that mimic those found on the end of these nerve cells. The immune system then mistakenly attacks these cells as well as the invading ones.
They have found that usually, cases occur two or three weeks after a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection. Surgeries and, in extremely rare cases, some vaccinations, can also trigger GBS. The Zika virus also increases the risk of GBS development.
There is also a high maternal risk, with new moms being most vulnerable in the two to three weeks postpartum. (4) Some women can also start displaying symptoms in the third trimester of pregnancy. With medical attention, both mother and baby can be healthy and okay. Without it, however, it can be devastating. (5) In the United States, the prevalence of GBS in pregnant women is about 2.8 cases per million people per year. (6)
Read: These Women Were Photographed Before And After Becoming Mothers
The Signs And Symptoms Of GBS
Usually, the first symptoms are weakness and tingling in the extremities of your body, such as fingers and toes. This very quickly spreads to more parts of the body and in extreme cases can cause full-body paralysis. (7) The weakness that usually alerts people to seek medical attention is on both sides when it begins to become difficult to walk up the stairs or walk. Symptoms can affect the:
- Arms
- Face
- Muscles
- Breathing
They can also move down and affect the legs and feet. Additional symptoms are:
- Difficulty with eye muscles and vision
- Difficulty swallowing, speaking, or chewing
- Pricking or pins and needles sensations in the hands and feet
- Pain that can be severe, particularly at night
- Coordination problems and unsteadiness
- Abnormal heart beat/rate or blood pressure
- Problems with digestion and/or bladder control.
Though patients do usually recover, there is usually some lasting nerve damage that can periodically cause other disorders, coordination issues, and occasional weakness. This is often more pronounced on one side of the body than another.
Holly’s Happy Ending
Holly spent the first two and a half months following her diagnosis in bed in the hospital. She was in incredible pain, she couldn’t speak, required a ventilator to breathe, and had a tube feed directly to her stomach. Over the next several months, she had to relearn how to breathe, move her arms, walk, and essentially all the normal human movements.
Little by little, however, she did recover. This was all thanks to the love and support from her husband, family, and friends, as well as a dedicated team of doctors and therapists. Today she is in great shape and is living a happy life with her husband and daughter.
Holly is a testament to how incredibly strong the human will is. She worked hard and was dedicated to her recovery. Most importantly, she never gave up hope.
Keep Reading: The Heartwarming Video of a Baby with Down Syndrome has Taken the Internet by Storm
Sources
- “*NEW* Holly’s Journey : From Guillain-Barre Syndrome to Happily Ever After (Extended Version).” Youtube. Holly After GBS. May 16, 2016.
- “Young Mom Is Beaming After Childbirth, But Just 3 Weeks Later, She Looks Horrifyingly Different.” Little Things. Amy P. Oct 22, 2015.
- “Guillain-Barré Syndrome Fact Sheet.” NIH.
- “Diagnosing Gullian Barre Syndrome in the Post-partum Period: A Case Report.” JMSH. Chandan Kachru, et al. 2015
- “Relapsing Guillain-Barre syndrome in pregnancy and postpartum.” NCBI. S. Meenakshi-Sundaram, et al. July 2014.
- “Estimation of the Incidence of Guillain-Barré Syndrome During Pregnancy in the United States.” Academic. Tanya R Myers, et al. March 15, 2019
- “Guillain-Barre syndrome.” Mayo Clinic
