Nurse Helps Baby Who Suffered Stroke In The Womb

LE CENTER, Minn. (WCCO) -- The word complication is the last word parents want to hear in the delivery room. That fear turned to reality for Le Center couple Dan Wright and Emily VanDrope.

They were shocked to hear their baby had suffered a stroke while in the womb, they said. The family credits a nurse at Mankato Hospital for saving their baby's life.

"You have a healthy baby boy. I mean he was born, 20 and one-fourth inches long, 8 lbs., 1 oz. Perfect," said Emily VanDrope, the mother.

They were the words every mother hopes to hear from her doctor after giving birth.

Brody Thomas Wright, or "Mr. Wright," as he is called, was born on Valentine's Day. It was 14 hours later, when everything right, suddenly went wrong.

"She came in and goes: 'His color looks a little off,'" VanDrope said.

It was the nurse, Lisa Taylor, who noticed the change. Shortly after, Brody's parents were informed of a brain scan that showed a mass.

"There's no other worse feeling in the world than knowing your newborn is having problems and you can't do anything about it," said Dan Wright, Brody's father.

The baby was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where doctors determined the mass was a blood clot. Brody had suffered a stroke while in the womb.

"We never imagined a newborn ever having a stroke, and when we got there and they realized what had happened, they told us that it's a lot more common than most people understand or even know about," Wright said.

Brody now takes anti-seizure medications daily. While the doctors don't see any side effects from the stroke yet, they say they will have to wait to see as he develops.

The Wright's say they are thankful for the nurse's attention to detail.

"I owe her my child's life," VanDrope said. "He's my pride and joy. I just couldn't do anything without her right now."

Doctors say 90 percent of babies who suffer a stroke in the womb go off medications in their first year.

WCCO-TV reached out to Taylor, who said she was beyond relieved to hear Brody was doing well. She said she was humbled to know she played a part in saving his life.