“We are deeply touched by everyone’s love and support and have found strength from the kindness and generosity,” Jackie Miller James’ family said after she suffered an aneurysm at nine months pregnant
The family of Jackie Miller James is thanking fans for their support as the lifestyle and beauty influencer remains in a medically induced coma after suffering a ruptured aneurysm at nine months pregnant.
On Tuesday, the 35-year-old’s sisters Natalie and Nicelle shared an update to the GoFundMe page established for her recovery journey.
“Our family sincerely thanks the community that has rallied around Jackie’s recovery thus far,” they wrote. “We are deeply touched by everyone’s love and support and have found strength from the kindness and generosity from friends, family, followers and strangers alike. We remain dedicated to securing optimal care for the highest quality of life for Jackie following this tragic event.”
“Per professional recommendations, Jackie’s GoFundMe goal has been increased, as we have recently learned more about her road to recovery, the innovative treatments available, and now have more clarity on the future financial implications we will be faced with,” the family added, raising the donation goal to $450,000.
“Any unused funds will be donated to similar families in need and/or related organizations,” her sisters wrote.
One week before she was due to give birth to a baby girl, James collapsed in her California home and was found unconscious by her husband Austin.
The content creator was rushed to the emergency room, where doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver her daughter — Knoxly Rose — and perform brain surgery at the same time for the “severe brain bleeding and injury” caused by the ruptured aneurysm.
“Brain aneurysms are caused by thinning artery walls,” according to the Mayo Clinic. “Most brain aneurysms don’t rupture. They usually don’t cause symptoms or cause health problems. In many cases, brain aneurysms are found during tests for other conditions. However, a ruptured aneurysm quickly becomes life-threatening and requires medical treatment right away.
Baby Knoxly remained in the NICU for 12 days before going home, but James is still in a medically induced coma in the ICU, where she has since undergone five brain procedures, according to the GoFundMe.
“If Jackie and the baby arrived a few minutes later at the hospital, we likely would have lost both of them,” her sisters wrote last week. “But instead, Jackie is continuing to fight for her life each day and 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.”
James’ family said she is expected to remain hospitalized for months. The GoFundMe page to support her recovery journey has since garnered over $281,000, with top donations coming from The Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar and Pretty Little Liars alum Shay Mitchell.
On Saturday, her sister Nicelle shared an emotional update on James and her newborn daughter, letting her followers know their family is hopeful moving forward.
“Jackie remains in a medically induced coma and we are doing everything we can to help her recover. The doctors are concerned about her long recovery but we are determined to beat the odds,” she wrote on Instagram. “I am happy to share that baby Knoxly Rose is doing well and I am honored to help care for her. It was heartbreaking to see her meet her mom for the first time while in a coma, but we are determined to reunite them.”
James rose to fame on Instagram with her frank, funny takes on pregnancy — such as posting closeup shots of her swollen ankles and joking about “lighting crotch,” or pelvic pain — with followers that included singer and former co-host of The Real Adrienne Bailon and influencer Andreea Gaul.
In April, she spoke about the stresses of the third trimester, writing, “I find myself having moments of fear and anxiety which I really haven’t had yet, many moments of tears from frustration of feeling more and more uncomfortable, and the sudden reality that everything is about to change. I also find myself feeling very nervous about the remainder of the third trimester and knowing I will get bigger and more uncomfortable which some days seems impossible.”