Jackie Miller James, 35, was 39 weeks pregnant and just one week away from her due date when she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm at home. Her husband found her lying on the floor unresponsive and she was immediately rushed to a local hospital, where they discovered severe brain bleeding and injury.
When she arrived at the emergency room, doctors wasted no time in getting her into the operation room for two procedures at the same time – brain surgery in hopes of saving the mother and an emergency C-section in hopes of saving the child. They’re both alive, but the mother continues to fight for her life.
It has now been two weeks since the incident occurred and Jackie remains in a medically-induced coma – she has undergone five brain surgeries. They expect her to remain in the ICU for weeks and hospital for months as she continues treatment and recovery. Meanwhile, her daughter has been in the NICU.
While Jackie Miller James was photographed with her daughter on her chest, she wasn’t awake when she first met her daughter – but the family is hopeful that day will come soon. The family also created a GoFundMe account to help fund the cost of her treatment and lifelong recovery once she’s awake.
“We are optimistic she can beat the odds by surrounding her with the right specialists and methods of therapy. While the road will be long, we are committed to bringing Jackie home to her daughter and husband,” Jackie’s sisters – Natalie & Nicelle – wrote in the GoFundMe description on April 30.
The sisters set an original goal of $250,000 for what they described as ‘significant outside costs’ related to Jackie’s treatment and recovery – which includes speech therapy, physical therapy, home modifications, and alternative therapies. In its first three days, the account raised more than $200,000 (and counting).
“If Jackie and the baby arrived a few minutes later at the hospital, we likely would have lost both of them,” the sisters continued. “These funds will help Jackie’s long-term recovery and quality of life as a new mother. Any funds that remain unused will be donated to similar families in need or related charities.”
Of the more than 3,500 people who have donated to Jackie Miller James’ GoFundMe account, one donation stands out above the rest. It’s a $5,000 donation – which happens to be tied for the largest donation – from actor Kunal Nayyar, best known for his role as Raj Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory.
While it’s unclear if he knew Jackie personally, we do know this isn’t the first time he has donated to a GoFundMe cause. Towards the end of 2018, he donated to the family of late TV news anchor and reporter, Chris Burrous – a similar $5,000 donation which, again, served as the largest donation.
Now, he’s doing it again with Jackie Miller James – who is receiving an overwhelming amount of support on social media as friends, colleagues, and fans share their kind words and prayers with her and her family. Her sisters haven’t provided a further update about her status since the GoFundMe was created.
“Praying for you and your family Jackie and can’t wait for the day you get to see your beautiful baby girl” Wendy Bellissimo wrote in an Instagram comment, while Jasmine Leaf added, “You are a warrior, may you meet your baby earth side with full healing & love. May you be healthy, happy & full of love.”
