'Second chance at life:' Horry Co. mom makes great progress months after cardiac arrest
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Prayers for the Prue family have been answered.
An Horry County wife and mom, who gained the support of millions on social media, has made outstanding strides since her unexpectedcardiac arrest more than two months ago.
Andrew and Alexis Prue had just left a Tennessee Titans game in Jacksonville, Florida when Alexis went into cardiac arrest on January 8.
After two months of being in an induced coma and battling seizures, Alexis is awake and starting the road to recovery.
Andrew shared a video of Alexis on the day she was discharged from the hospital and transferred to Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville.
She started speech, occupational and physical therapy on March 2, however, like most of her medical journey this far, it hasn't been easy.
In an exclusive interview with ABC15, Alexis's husband, Andrew explained, "When she had her first full day of therapy, Alexis' anxiety was really high and throughout the night, it just kept getting worse and worse."
That night, Alexis suffered from an anxiety attack and it prompted her doctors to send her back to the ER for additional tests and monitoring before continuing rehab.
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"It was scarier for me than the initial cardiac arrest because at least when the cardiac arrest happened, my body went into a state of shock; where this was kind of out of the blue," Andrew recalled.
However, just a couple of days later, Alexisrestarted her sessions at the rehabilitation center.
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Doctors and therapists have set many goals for Alexis each day, but Andrew said she's going above and beyond.
Alexis was able to stand up for two minutes during her next session, reaching a goal she set for herself.
"She has just been so positive in this whole recovery phase that I couldn't be more proud to be her husband," Andrew said.
The Prue family has shared several other special moments together, like Alexis putting her wedding ring on for the first time since being admitted.
Andrew shared the milestone moment on Facebook and said "2 months ago today, I placed Alexis’s wedding ring around my neck, next to my Dad’s, the day of the incident. Today, it’s back in its rightful place."
Alexis has also since been reunited with their 15-month-old daughter, India.
Andrew said,"There was a touching moment where India was just hugging Alexis and it just....That's the moment was prayed for was just being reunited as a family and seeing her daughter back in her mother's arms."
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Andrew said doctors still aren't sure what may have caused Alexis' cardiac arrest, but right now, they're just focusing on her progress and moving forward in her recovery.
Tentatively, Alexis is scheduled to be released from the Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital during the first week of April.
Andrew, took to social media to ask for prayers and encouragementthe night Alexis first went into cardiac arrest.
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The outpouring of support was immediate and Andrew's updates about his wife's journey reached millions, including some NFL players who sent well wishes.
Alexis posted herself for the first time since her episode to thank everyone for their prayers.
Her post said in part, "I want to thank God for giving me a second chance at life."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family while Alexis recovers.
