Lancaster mom overcomes the odds following battle with COVID-19

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Pregnant women are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people, according to the CDC.

The agency says the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any unknown or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.

However, despite those published and studied facts, doctors say widespread vaccine hesitancy is rampant among pregnant women.

But one woman, Cierra Chubb, says she was just waiting for the official green light.

The Lancaster mom of three fought for her life after contracting COVID-19 in August. She delivered her third child via emergency c-section.

RELATED STORY | Lancaster mom still on ventilator battling COVID-19 after emergency c-section delivery

Three months later, her husband says her story is a miracle and a warning.

Sitting up in her hospital bed, Cierra Chubb takes her husband to the cleaners.

“We played UNO yesterday and she beat me,” Jamal Chubb said. “She’s been beating me for years.”

After 90 days in the hospital, and months on a ventilator, Cierra is now beating the odds.

“Since then we’ve literally seen her die and come back from the grave,” Jamal said.

Doctors say they put her on a ventilator and ECMO machine to keep her alive after delivering her third child while battling COVID.

But today, she’s taking her body back.

“She started waking up and doing better and better so it was a slow gradual process of her waking up and improving, it really was,” Jamal said.

Cierra’s story joins a growing narrative, about the severe risks of contracting COVID-19 as a pregnant woman.

“Gosh, this is just a group I cannot preach enough we need to get them vaccinated,” Dr. Campbell said.

Dr. Barry Campbell, an OBGYN at Prisma Health, says just 30 percent of pregnant women are vaccinated.

“We have seen in our own experience a tremendous number of pregnant patients who were seriously ill and we’ve seen multiple deaths in our pregnant and postpartum moms,” Dr. Campbell said.

As for Moms who do get the vaccine, he says there’s no evidence to show that the vaccine causes fertility issues.

“It’s really not irrefutable The evidence is there to talk about safety,” Dr. Campbell said. “We just have to break down those barriers and talk about it over and over.”

Cierra was not vaccinated when she got sick. At the time, there were mixed reviews when it came to pregnant women and the vaccine.

Jamal says the plan is for Cierra to get vaccinated when she’s able.

“Please please please talk to your healthcare provider that you trust,” Jamal said. “Because I don’t want to see what happened to us happen to you.”

Cierra’s journey is far from over. She spends time off the ventilator to test her lungs.

So far, she’s made it up to 17 hours.

“She keeps showing great progress,” Jamal said.

Her main focus is to work on getting her hands back so she can hold her children once again.

“So we’re still on a journey. Still very much on a journey,” Jamal said. “They got their mom back. I got my friend back.”

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