Help the Petty Family Overcome Medical Crisis

"He just leaned back and passed out," said

Breanna Adams. "He's a big guy so I just held his head as he fell to the floor." I am sharing

A heartwarming and dramatic human-

interest story about the power of a father's

Commitment to his family when faced with healthcare uncertainty.

This story resonates with parents who often lean on the support of their significant others and need a reminder about the miracles life can bring when a parent is focused on their family, even in the darkest times.

Late one evening while preparing to take a shower, Ja'Ron Petty collapsed in his bedroom.

His pregnant girlfriend, Breanna Adams, called 911 while the love of her life lay unconscious in her arms. On June 20, paramedics arrived and rushed Ja'Ron to the emergency department at SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis. After assessment, Ja'Ron was quickly admitted to the Telemetry Unit to monitor his heart.

SSM Health DePaul Hospital doctors discovered within 24 hours of admission that Ja' Ron suffered from pericarditis and endocarditis. These two rare and life-threatening diseases that cause swelling around the heart, specifically the heart's sac, chambers, and valves.

Two days after admission, a rapid response was called for chest pain. Ja'Ron's condition was deteriorating. His organs began to fail due to being in septic shock. He was transferred to the intensive care unit where hospital teams inserted a breathing tube. Later that evening, doctors determined he needed to be intubated and placed on life support to be kept alive.

His pregnant girlfriend was terrified of losing him.

At his bedside, she spoke sternly saying "don't you leave me. I can't take care of this family without you."

In a medically induced coma, Ja'Ron laid still. As he laid on life support, his future was uncertain.

With her delivery date approaching Breanna pleaded with the nurses and doctors to find a way for Ja'Ron to be present for the birth of their son.

The hospital care team carefully reversed Ja'Ron's medically induced coma after he laid intubated for eight days. Against all odds he regained consciousness.

He miraculously opened his eyes for the first time since collapsing on the floor. His first words were

"What month is it?" A nearby nurse replied, "It's the beginning of July." Ja'Ron uttered, "Good, I didn't miss the baby being born.

Then, as fate would have it, Breanna's water broke on July 6, while grocery shopping for her family.

She was rushed to the same hospital where Ja'Ron was still battling blood and heart infections.

On July 7, with the medical team's careful coordination, Ja'Ron was placed in a wheelchair and wheeled into the delivery room just in time to witness the birth of his son, Adoness. Even though he still had two surgery drainage tubes coming from his lungs and one out of his throat, he mustered the strength to hold his son - a father's first embrace.

On July 8, one major drainage tube supporting lung function was removed signaling an improvement in Ja'Ron's condition. On July 13, the second drainage tube supporting his lungs was removed. A sign that Ja'Ron's condition was stabilizing.

On July 22, Ja'Ron was discharged from SSM

Health DePaul Hospital. He returned home after a month of his life in peril. Doctors suspect an infected tooth was the source of the blood diseases.

Now, Ja'Ron is recovering at home with his family as a full-time father. His determination to be in his family's life fuel him to fight for his life.

This story is an important reminder of the power of a father's devotion to his familv and willingness to fight and overcome health challenges, even in moments of profound uncertainty.

*Written By Elizabeth Sharpe Taylor*

SSM DePaul Hospital