An aneurysm is a bulge on an artery and usually doesn't cause pain, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Unruptured brain aneurysms affect between 2% and 5% of people and don't cause medical issues. But when an aneurysm ruptures, it requires immediate medical attention and can be life-threatening. Brain aneurysms can cause a stroke.
According to a 2020 review of studies looking at intracranial aneurysms in pregnant patients, the physiological changes seen in pregnancy "likely elevate the risk of intracranial aneurysm formation, growth, and rupture."
Signs of a burst brain aneurysm include feeling lightheaded, rapid heartbeat, sudden and severe headache, and loss of consciousness. Ruptured aneurysms are a medical emergency and require treatment immediately, according to the Mayo Clinic.
On the GoFundMe page, James' sisters, Nicole and Nicelle, said, "if Jackie and the baby arrived a few minutes later at the hospital, we likely would have lost both of them." They have raised $211,000 at the time of publication.
The family expects James to need speech therapy, physical therapy, an alternative therapies "once we realize the severity of her deficits," according to the GoFundMe.
