An Irishwoman living in Abu Dhabi gave both to a baby boy and made a miraculous recovery after suffering from a severe brain hemorrhage that put her in a coma while she was pregnant.

Mairead O'Dea, a 32-year-old English language teacher from Co Clare, was only six months pregnant and on life support in an Intensive Care Unit when she gave birth to baby Morgan last October.

Although doctors told her family that she had little hope of survival, Mairead in now back in Ireland and on “the long road to recovery” and the baby is “thriving.”

“It's unbelievable the whole story. She's extremely lucky, her doctors over there said it was a miracle that she survived,” a family member told the Irish Independent.

Five years ago, Mairead earned her TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) cert and moved to Abu Dhabi, where she met Dave Hart, from New Zealand. The couple got married in April 2014 and were expecting their first child last October 4, 2015, when Mairead suffered a severe brain hemorrhage.

Seven days later, while on life-support in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the hospital, Mairead’s waters broke and baby Morgan was born by cesarean section at 27 weeks.

A family member told the Irish Independent that for over four months mother and child were well cared for at separate hospitals Abu Dhabi, but it was decided that Mairead should travel home to get the best care and rehabilitation.

Mairead arrived back in Ireland on January 14, 2016 to receive treatment at the stroke unit at University Hospital in Limerick.

Last month, she was moved to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dun Laoghaire where she is now undergoing an intensive rehabilitation program.

A family member said that Mairead’s vision is impaired and her short-term memory is poor. She is not yet walking.

Said her sister, Siobhan O’Gorman: “It’s been a long road. We have been told that she will need 24-hour care once she leaves hospital. We are so grateful to anyone who has helped so far with her medical treatment. We have been overwhelmed with the support."

Baby Morgan has been discharged from hospital in Abu Dhabi and remains in the UAE with his father and paternal grandmother.

Friends and family have decided to climb Croagh Patrick on June 11 to raise funds for her post rehab care. The event already garnered a great online response, and some 300 people have signed up for the climb, including some of the staff at University Hospital Limerick who helped with her care. 

Donations are being accepted here.