One Minnesota woman who was about to give birth performed a miracle to save her husband’s life just in time for him to see his baby.
On October 16, Ashley Goette, 28, from West Saint Paul, who was 39 weeks pregnant, awoke to find her husband Andrew, 28, snoring and gasping for air. She called 911; a dispatcher coached her how to perform CPR on Andrew, who had gone into cardiac arrest, until paramedics arrived and took him to United Hospital.
At a press conference, Dr. Alex Teeters, a pulmonary and critical care physician at United Hospital, said doctors cooled Andrew’s body at the hospital; the doctors were “preparing for the worst” because Andrew had not been breathing, causing his brain to become oxygen-depleted and suffer brain damage. ICU nurse Libby Remmers said the hospital later warmed Andrew’s body, reducing the medication keeping him in a coma.
Ashley recalled she was frightened, saying, “I didn’t want to have to think for one second about having to do any of this without him. I kept telling him the whole time he was asleep, or in his coma, that I was not going to have this baby until he woke up.”
Andrew woke up on October 17. Remmers said, “I looked at him at one point and said ‘Andrew, open your eyes’ and he did. And it was really just the best moment.” Ashley echoed, “Libby [the nurse] grabbed him and said ‘Andrew, do you know you’re having a baby?’ And he went mhm. And she was like do you want to be there to be a part of your baby’s life? And he shook his head yes.”
On October 18, Ashley was induced. On October 19, her son, Lennon Andrew Goette, was born vis-à-vis Caesarean section; he weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Andrew was transported from the ICU to be with his wife. Ashley said, “They brought Andrew down to labor and delivery, on his very own hospital bed and just parked it right next to mine. And he got to be there throughout all of labor and delivery.”
During the actual delivery of the baby, Ashley was moved to the operating room; Andrew watched on FaceTime, then got to hold his son. He said, “I’m still watching on my phone as they’re coming through the door. So that was pretty cool. And I was already standing there with my shirt off waiting for him, with all my electrodes still hanging off of me.”
Ashley concluded, “I think we’re both a little nervous to go home because it’s going to be so much different than when we left, but no we’re very anxious to get home. And to be able to cuddle, these beds aren’t very big. He’s coming home. And that’s really the only thing that matters.”
Teeters said doctors think Andrerw suffers from Wolff-Parkinson White syndrome, which triggers a rapid heartbeat. Teeters added that the doctors fixed the problem and Andrew’s prognosis is “fantastic.” He said, “I don’t think Andrew would be here today if it wasn’t for the actions of Ashley.”