Tracey was wisked to the hospital and doctors ran a series of tests. They learned that she suffered from a life-threatening heart condition known as aortic dissection. She had suffered a foot-long tear in her aorta, a major artery in the heart. Tracey was reportedly also suffering from preeclampsia and she had Marfan Syndrome, which involves weakened tissue including the walls of her blood vessels. This combination made her condition potentially deadly.
Two teams of surgeons sprang into action. The first group of doctors immediately performed a C-section to deliver her new daughter quickly while the second team prepared her for open heart surgery that would last for nine hours. The medical team’s lead cardiologist says that this was the most complicated surgery he has done in 30 years.
The surgery was a success, and Edita and baby Arabella are now at home, both doing well. Mom doesn’t remember much of the drama, but says: “I think my baby saved my life.”
