When young couples tie the knot, they usually assume that they have a long future together to build their lives and make memories. However, life can be unpredictable and throw unexpected challenges.
In May 2007, Ryan Finley woke up feeling like it was any other Saturday. He realized it was time to wake up his wife, Jill Finley, which was unusual for him. When he called out her name, she did not respond. Concerned, he tried shaking her but still got no response. Ryan became nervous and scared, so he called emergency services and began performing CPR on his wife.
Upon the arrival of paramedics, Jill was swiftly moved to an ambulance and transported to the hospital. Her spouse, Ryan, followed the ambulance in his truck.
Upon evaluation by medical professionals at the hospital, it was determined that Jill had experienced a cardiac arrest. Jill underwent necessary medical procedures to stabilize her while Ryan waited outside the emergency room and received periodic updates on her condition.
When Ryan received an update about his wife’s condition from the doctor, the doctor advised him to pray, indicating that the situation was very serious. Later on, the doctors informed Ryan that his 31-year-old wife was in a coma, which was difficult for him to accept.
During the two weeks that Jill was in a coma, many visitors came to support Ryan and Jill. One of Jill’s cousins came with a Bible and read from it to Jill for an hour. He left the Bible with Ryan, who would read from it to Jill and hope that she would recover.
After Jill had been in a coma for 11 days, Ryan decided to go home to be alone for a bit. The doctors had advised him to take Jill off of life support as they did not expect any improvement in her condition. Ryan was torn between this decision, knowing that it could mean his wife passing away soon.
Eventually, he decided to follow the doctors’ advice and asked them to remove Jill from life support on the 14th day of her coma. However, only five hours after the life support was removed, Jill started to show signs of movement and speech.
Ryan, who had stepped out of the room to give his wife privacy, was called back in by the nurse. He was shocked to find his wife awake and talking after what he thought were her last moments. “The nurse came out and said, ‘I think you need to come in, she’s talking.’”
Upon entering the hospital room, Ryan anticipated having a final conversation with his wife. However, Jill surprised him by saying, “Get me out of here. I want to go home.” Although Ryan was initially shocked, he proceeded to ask her questions that she could only answer if she was fully conscious. For instance, he asked her about their pets’ names and gave her some mental math problems, all of which she answered correctly. Jill even requested to go to her favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner.
Jill later revealed that she had no recollection of being in a coma. To her, it felt like she had been away for a while and then returned. When asked what he believed brought his wife back, Ryan credited God and divine intervention.
Despite Jill’s recovery, she had to relearn certain motor skills, such as brushing her teeth and tying her shoe laces, from scratch. Nonetheless, her successful awakening was a miraculous event that her husband credits to a higher power.
The couple sees their situation as an opportunity to start over and rekindle their relationship. Jill agrees with Ryan’s decision to take her off life support because she wouldn’t want to live in a vegetative state.
Ryan still feels anxious and afraid after the incident and makes sure to always be close to Jill. He wakes up at night and checks if Jill is there by kicking her, and if she kicks back, he knows she’s okay.
It’s amazing when life offers you a second chance, and we’re thrilled to hear that both Ryan and Jill Finley are doing well.