Meet Our Parents: Mark and Lindsey's Story

Placenta accreta is one of the fastest-growing, life-threatening complications of pregnancy. AdventHealth team member Mark Johnson recalls his family's experience with placenta accreta and shares his gratitude for the team who saved his wife and son's life.

Mark and his wife, Lindsey, were thrilled to learn they were pregnant with a boy and excited to grow their family, giving their daughter, Claire, a baby brother. However, the pregnancy was more stressful than Mark and Lindsey ever anticipated. Dr. Rachel Humphrey diagnosed Lindsey with placenta accreta, one of the fastest-growing, life-threatening pregnancy complications, and a condition that causes the placenta to grow through the uterus into other areas of the body.

Mark remembers what it felt like to hear the diagnosis, "It was very scary and a real wake-up call. But we are so grateful to Dr. Humphrey for catching this early in her pregnancy."

Mark recalls the shock of rushing Lindsey to the OB Emergency Department at AdventHealth for Women when she experienced heavy bleeding at 28 weeks pregnant. Dr. James Nix and several midwives cared for the couple. Luckily the bleeding stopped and after five days on the high-risk pregnancy floor, they were sent home with instructions for Lindsey to be put on bed rest.

Lindsey was on bed rest for six weeks and made it to her scheduled c-section date at 34 weeks and six days pregnant. The delivery was scheduled then so that Lindsey would deliver before going into labor, which would prevent her from hemorrhaging and other life-threatening complications. The physicians in the operating room, Dr. Ashley Hill, Dr. Mark Crider, Dr. Jorge Lense, Dr. Luis Fernandez-Sifre, Anesthesiologist Dr. Jeff Moore and multiple neonatologist nurses, and many others all worked together to help deliver their baby boy on April 15, 2021. Due to this condition, after the baby was delivered and the c-section was complete, Lindsey underwent a partial hysterectomy to remove the damaged uterus.

While Lindsey was in recovery from the surgeries, Vickie Smith, Director of OB Care at AdventHealth for Women, went out of her way to step in to help the couple. After they rushed baby Wesley to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Vickie knew mom Lindsey would want to meet her son as soon as possible, so she wheeled Lindsey to the NICU to meet her son Wesley.

Wesley stayed in the NICU for 15 days while he mastered eating and breathing on his own. The entire NICU staff cared for him around the clock and provided incredible comfort and care to the entire family.

Mark is overwhelmingly grateful for how so many different people went above and beyond for his family and credited the entire AdventHealth for Women and AdventHealth for Children team for saving his wife and son's life.

“Every person who cared for our family from Child Life to Labor and Delivery nurses to physicians was amazing. It was incredible to see the collaboration between the physicians, anesthesiologist, and nurses."

Mark and Lindsey want to remind others of the importance of early detection. "We never heard of placenta accreta before this experience. However, we learned the importance of education and having a team of experts advocating for you through a diagnosis. We experienced an incredible collaborative effort, and we will forever be grateful."