Jennifer Turnbull had only spent two days with her newborn son Jonathan when a rare and deadly disease struck.
She collapsed - within hours the 22-year-old was in a coma, and within days her parents were being told to start planning her funeral. However, with newborn Jonathan and her family at her side, she fought off the disease - Goodpasture's Syndrome - and awoke after two weeks.
Goodpasture's Syndrome is a rare condition which medical experts believe has affected only three other people in New Zealand.
The disease typically causes the rapid destruction of the kidneys and bleeding into the lungs.
Six weeks on from her near-death experience and the Rotorua solo mum still can't hold Jonathan herself.
Others have ended up with the night-time feedings and nappy changes while Jennifer has been in a hospital bed recovering.
She's not sure what caused the disease, or whether it was brought on from the childbirth.
However, she is certain of one thing - having Jonathan near her, even when she was in a coma, helped her to pull through.
Miss Turnbull is speaking out out to help highlight the great work done by Intensive Care Units around the country - but especially that at Rotorua Hospital.
Miss Turnbull started to feel unwell two days after Jonathan's birth on September 18.
She was taken to a medical ward at Rotorua Hospital where she was placed on oxygen but she kept deteriorating.
She was then airlifted to Auckland Hospital by a special helicopter which had to land in the carpark of Rotorua Hospital because it was too big to land on the helipad.
Miss Turnbull's father, John, said it was risky to fly her to Auckland as she was so unstable but getting specialist treatment there was her only hope. At that stage doctors still didn't know what was wrong with his daughter.
She spent the next two weeks in a coma in Auckland Hospital fighting for her life.
Doctors told her parents she had a 50/50 chance of survival.
At one point she was so unwell her parents were told to return to Rotorua to prepare for their daughter's death.
As well as her parents, baby Jonathan was kept by her bedside during the four weeks she spent in Auckland Hospital.
She said when she awoke from the coma she was frustrated because she couldn't talk, ask how Jonathan was, or hold him. She couldn't believe how much her baby had grown and changed.
"The hardest thing is I lost out on him growing," she said.
While she's disappointed the first month of Jonathan's life was not exactly what she had planned, Miss Turnbull said the incident had given her a whole new outlook on life.
"You don't realise how short life is."
Now back at Rotorua Hospital where she continues to recuperate, Miss Turnbull said she was counting down the days until she was able to go home and start being a mother to Jonathan.
She hoped it would be this week.
"I just want to hold my baby and do normal mum and baby things."
Rare disease hits: Mum out of coma
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