ABOUT
On February 22, 2018, “I Believe” founder Candice Gaddy and her husband, Matthew Gaddy, welcomed their second child, a healthy baby boy to join his older brother. They named him Myles and were all overjoyed with their blessings. Candice has always been very healthy, and so, she wasn’t initially particularly alarmed when she began experiencing a horrible headache while breastfeeding now 2-week-old Myles, on March 2, 2018.
Fortunately, her mom-in-love was there and as the pain became more unbearable, Candice who normally has a high tolerance for pain, realized that even she was struggling, and requested that 911 be called. When EMS arrived, they discovered her blood pressure was 190/85, a high reading for anyone, but even more so for Candice, whose blood pressure was historically low.
The EMS transported Candice to the closest hospital. After observing her for several hours, the hospital staff concluded that she had a migraine headache. Her blood pressure seemed to be stabilizing and her vitals began to appear more normal. The hospital prepared to release her. Candice went to the restroom and her husband, Matthew, noticed that her speech seemed slurred, and that she was having trouble walking. He asked the doctors to take another look, and they agreed it was odd and ordered a CT scan, which revealed she suffered a stroke and bleeding on the brain.
Now a very serious situation, Candice was airlifted to the main hospital in Charlotte, NC for emergency surgery. The doctors informed Candice’s family that this was a very grave diagnosis, and a positive outcome of the recommended surgery, a craniotomy, was not guaranteed. As expected, the entire Gaddy family was extremely upset.
With God’s help, the surgery was successful. As soon as Candice woke up from the anesthesia, she was able to identify everyone in the room and speak. To say her family was overjoyed is an understatement. She still had some recovery ahead of her, as her speech was slightly slurred and her mouth was slightly twisted, but mentally she was 100% responsive and looking for her husband, Matthew.
Two days later, Candice was moved from ICU to a standard room. She amazed the nurses with her resilience and cheerful demeanor, and she responded quickly to the physical therapy. Only 5 days after this dreadful event, she was released to go home fully functioning.
Subsequent recovery treatment was mild, she required only a couple of sessions with a speech therapist to ensure she would be prepared to return to her successful and demanding corporate career.
God truly performed a miracle in this story, that the signs and symptoms were noticed, that appropriate care was available, and that a full recovery occurred. As this is not always the case, Candice is now on a mission to pay it forward by highlighting both God's miracles and bringing awareness to the seriousness of post-partum complexities, made more dangerous because they can arise quickly and unexpectedly in a healthy situation.