Newlywed bride, 27, in coma on second day of dream honeymoon after husband finds her collapsed in gym
A newlywed bride was put in a coma and left fighting for life on the second day of dream honeymoon after her husband found her collapsed in a gym.
Distraught husband Joseph Bechara, 28, discovered wife Francheska, 27, unconscious on the hotel gym floor during their three-week romantic getaway touring the USA.
He had popped outside to have a cigarette and when he returned he saw she had collapsed.
He said it also looked like she had been trying to use her phone to call for help.
The couple had days earlier tied the knot in a lavish ceremony with almost 700 guests.
(Image: Francheska Bechara/Facebook)
Francheska, a teacher, was rushed to hospital in New York where medics confirmed she had suffered multiple strokes.
She was put in an induced coma and had three major brain surgeries to save her life and reduce the swelling – but it is only the start of the recovery, her family say.
Doctors were also forced to cut part of her skull to relieve pressure from the swelling on her brain, according to her brother-in-law, Joe Toubia.
Her mother, Georgette El-Ters, and mother-in-law have flown to be by her bedside.
Mr Toubia told 9News : “Her mother asked her to squeeze her hand if she understood and she did, which was great.
She is responding better than what doctors expected, to be honest, but it’s going to be a long process before the swelling has gone down and they can find out the true extent of the damage.”
He added that the family – including her three sisters and one brother – are “devastated”, and are still in the dark as to what caused her sudden health problems.
The couple, from Sydney, are now facing hospital bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
A fundraising page has been set up by project manager Joseph’s colleagues to help ease the burden of the financial strain.
While the newlyweds had travel insurance, their hospital bills are estimated to be around $20,000 a day.
More than $138,000 of the $300,000 goal has been donated so far.
(Image: Francheska Bechara/Facebook)
Sue Richardson, a colleague of Joseph’s, attended the happy couple’s wedding.
“Joe is the nicest young man you would ever meet. He is the most generous soul,” she said.
“We all went to the wedding at it was just amazing, really stunning. She looked like a princess.”
Joseph and Francheska met more than eight years ago at their local church and it was “love at first sight.” Joseph popped the question in 2016 during a family celebration.
They spent years saving for their perfect wedding which was held on October 7.
(Image: Francheska Bechara/Facebook)
Joseph has been told it will take three to four months for Francheska to recover and during that time she will not be able to travel.
“Joe will need help with accommodation , hospital fees (we all know the U.S.A health system is expensive), rehab costs, living expenses,” the GoFundMe page said.
“Most of the costs are upfront and we want to help Francheska and Joe get through this horrific time.
“We also want to make sure after this terrible event they wont struggle when they return home. Joe also just bought their first home in Sydney’s West as well which they were planning to move into after their honeymoon.”
- The fundraising page can be found here .
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