Fears as young mum in coma
A MUCH-LOVED young Geelong mum is in an induced coma, as her family anxiously waits for more answers on her health struggle.
Bianca Neilson, devoted mum to six-year-old son Logan, experienced asthma symptoms and felt unwell throughout last week.
She was rushed to Geelong hospital in an ambulance on Friday and underwent multiple tests for conditions ranging from blood clots to broken ribs.
The Newcomb 35-year-old, who is asthmatic, was placed in an induced coma that evening. “She was in emergency for eight hours before they decided to put her in an induced coma,” her older sister, Lara resident Tamara Gillett, said. She said Ms Neilson was not responding to pain relief, or pneumonia or asthma medication. “Bianca was agreeable to the procedure because she needed the relief. She was very scared and she was getting really upset … since then, she’s on a different antibiotic, which she has responded to.” Ms Neilson had visited the doctor to get medication earlier in the week. “We know that she has the condition of asthma, (but) this is the first time she’s deteriorated,” Mrs Gillett said. “Basically, the way that she was breathing, like she was in a marathon, was very scary for us because our dad died of lung cancer. “The way she was breathing was exactly how he breathed in the last few hours of his life, which I think would have given her the anxiety as well.”
Mrs Gillett said when her sister usually had asthma, “she can have her preventer, she can come to the hospital and go on the nebuliser or whatever the protocol is and she can go home and be fine.
“This is the first time that the infection has taken over her whole body,” she said.
As Ms Neilson remained in the coma, the family was yesterday questioning what led to the infection causing her sudden health decline.
Last night, Mrs Gillett said the condition of her sister’s lungs had worsened slightly, and it was believed she was struggling with pneumonia and asthma, as they waited on results from more tests.
She described Logan as her sister’s “first priority” and “number one”.
“She’s loved by many, and at times like this, you start to feel the love,” Mrs Gillett said. “She’s a young mum, she has a partner, they’re engaged, it’s not how you want to see your family. You don’t want to think the worst.”
Mrs Gillett has established a gofundme page to help Ms Neilson’s family. You can donate at: www.gofundme.com/zj9wv-help-a-young-family-in-a-tough-time