Spartanburg native Kourtney Stacey was 22 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with COVID-19, which progressed to pneumonia and ultimately to respiratory failure. 

In 2021, she came into the Spartanburg Medical Center emergency center when she wasn’t able to breathe well and was admitted to the hospital to be placed on a ventilator to help her breathe. 

"I remember being very scared," Stacey said. "When I wasn't allowed visitors in my room, my husband and family would see me through the glass, and my husband would write notes to me."  

When Stacey wasn’t progressing in the way her care team hoped with a ventilator, her doctors recommended placing her on ECMO. 

ECMO, or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, is a device that can help patients when traditional methods of life-support, such as medications and ventilator support, are not enough to sustain the lung and heart functions necessary for life. 

ECMO works by taking blood from the body, oxygenating it, removing harmful carbon dioxide and returning it to the body.  

"My husband, Todd was scared for me and our unborn daughter, but the doctor told him this was the best route, so Todd gave consent for me to be placed on it," Stacey said. 

"Because of the pneumonia Kourtney had from COVID-19, her lungs were not able to provide enough oxygen for her and her baby. Therefore, we initiated ECMO. She was not far enough along in her pregnancy to safely deliver her baby, so we were supporting two lives with ECMO," said Jennifer Appling, RN, ECMO Coordinator at Spartanburg Medical Center. 

Stacey was in and out of consciousness for much of her time on ECMO, but she remembered a few moments during the process.  

"While conscious, my team assured me I had a great care team and was in good hands. I had nurses who would braid my hair to keep it from tangling up and I had nurses praying over me and Ella Grace," Stacey said. 

Recently, Stacey visited her care team at Spartanburg Medical Center to say thank you for the care they provided while she was in the hospital.  

The care team got to reconnect with Kourtney and her family over a meal while catching up and meeting Ella Grace, who is now 3 and thriving.  

"It was amazing for our whole team to reconnect with Kourtney and her family and to meet sweet Ella Grace," said Appling. "Being able to save two lives is truly miraculous." 

"After being ventilated multiple times, my vocal cords were damaged. I did speech therapy, but ultimately, my voice has changed and isn't like it was before, but I'm so thankful I am alive and can talk," Stacey said. 

Since being discharged, Stacey has lived her life to the fullest, raising her family and being thankful for the life she's been given. Her care team was also grateful for the opportunity to see how she is doing post-ECMO. 

"It is the ultimate form of 'connect to purpose' that we can see in our everyday work," said Appling.