Medical miracle brings woman back to life after she was taken off life support

Full recovery after being placed on life support is rare, making it miraculous when someone does. Michigan resident Michele DeLeeuw's recovery amazed everyone around her. Michele had a heart attack in the summer of 2018 and was unconscious for three weeks, according to WDIV Local 4. Her husband, Karl DeLeeuw, faced a heart-wrenching decision. 

Following the recommendation from Michele's doctors, Karl decided to take his wife off her life support when her condition did not improve. But none of them expected what followed next. Michele regained consciousness all of a sudden after she was removed from her life support. "I truly believe she is a depiction of a miracle," Karl told the news outlet. Michele had a heart attack in August 2018 and she quickly lost consciousness as her husband dialed 911. A then 58-year-old Karl had no idea how to perform CPR, so the 911 operator guided him through the resuscitation procedure.

Karl placed his then-57-year-old wife flat on the floor and started giving her chest compressions. The paramedics from Sterling Heights arrived and rushed her to immediate medical care. Before getting resuscitated and admitted at St. John Macomb Hospital, Michele had been without oxygen for 15 minutes, per NBC News. "When my father called me after she was rushed to the hospital, was that he felt that she was dead. It was the most earth-shattering phone call of my young life," the couple's daughter, Myles, who was 24 years old during the incident, told the outlet. "It was horrible to see my mother on more IVs and tubes than you can ever imagine."

Karl had to make the hardest decision of his life eventually and he permitted the doctors to pull the plug on his wife's life support. But Michele's days were not over yet. With only 5% of brain activity and 25% heart capacity, she started breathing on her own once again. She woke up after two days of getting placed in comfort care and soon started talking as well. "She told the nurse she was hungry," Karl told the outlet. "I said, 'Well, feed her.' Two days later, she was sitting up in bed feeding herself." She was initially confused after waking up and had several blockages in her veins.

But Michele almost made a full recovery after undergoing open heart surgery, speech therapy and physical therapy. "I don't think I've processed everything that had happened in the last four months," she told WDIV. "I just thank God I was saved. I know it means something good is going to come of this." She also received the "Survivor coin" from the Sterling Heights Fire Department. The coin is usually presented to honor heart attack survivors and the emergency personnel responding to them as a token of their remarkable accomplishment. The DeLeeuw couple made it back home on the day of their 26th wedding anniversary. Karl explained to the outlet that their relationship has overcome several obstacles and believes their marriage can withstand anything after this life-and-death experience.