A day that should have been full of happiness and joy turned into a nightmare for one Gatineau family.
Mélissa Marenger, a young 30-year-old mother, was giving birth to her second child when she suffered a cardiac arrest from which she died.
“It was supposed to be a joy, but it turned into a nightmare,” says her partner Mathieu Lacaille. “It is extremely heartbreaking.”
“It took a few hours to determine it was an amniotic fluid embolism,” said his sister Sarah Marenger. “This happens when amniotic fluid mixes with the mother’s blood.”
Despite the medical team’s best efforts, nothing could be done to save Ms. Marenger’s life.
In addition to the complications during the birth, there were irreversible after-effects that forced the family to make the heartbreaking decision to remove artificial support.
“It’s a big piece that’s gone,” says Mathieu Lacaille, Mélissa’s partner. “It’s really no fun to go through moments like that.”
To save the newborn, the medical team had to quickly perform a cesarean section.
“If they didn’t do a cesarean section in four minutes, I would lose the little one,” explains Mr. Lacaille. “The doctor worked really quickly and they took care of her quickly with the newborn.”
Devastated by the loss of his partner, Mr. Lacaille explains that he is still lucky to be able to hold his little daughter in his arms today.
Funds to help the father
The family has now launched a crowdfunding campaign to help the father, who is now alone and left to look after his two young children.
“My family helps me and doesn’t leave me alone,” explains Mr. Lacaille. “We have a close bond and they hold their heads high to help me through this.”
