A Michigan woman welcomed her first child — then, just a week later, faced a sudden autoimmune event that drastically reduced her mobility. After weeks of inpatient care and rehabilitation, she’s now returning home and finally able to hold her baby.
“I’m very excited just to be able to do the everyday things, like change his diaper,” Carina Klein told FOX affiliate WXMI from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.
Klein said she developed stroke-like symptoms a week after giving birth last year, affecting her ability to walk, speak, and even hold up her head. Doctors later determined the symptoms were caused by an autoimmune flare-up, according to WXMI. The outlet reported that Klein had lesions on her spine and brain stem, along with inflammation — all of which were triggered after giving birth.
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Klein spent weeks in the hospital before she was finally able to see her newborn while still recovering in bed.
“All they could do was set him by me,” she told WXMI. “I couldn’t move my arms. I couldn’t hold him.”
She told the outlet her son became her biggest motivation to regain movement and independence.
After nine weeks of therapy, Klein is now able to walk and even make pottery with minimal support, WXMI reported. She also carried her son for the first time using a baby carrier. Klein is now returning to her home in Kalamazoo, where she will continue treatment through outpatient therapy.
Looking ahead, Klein said she hopes her son grows up knowing how many people stepped in to care for him during the weeks she couldn’t.
“I want him to know to fight and be strong,” Klein said, according to the outlet. “And that God’s always looking over, and there’s a plan for everything.”
