Nicole and Dave with their new addition, Gus

23 December 2022

Content warning: This article discusses stillbirth and might be triggering for some readers.

On Friday 23 December, Austin Health facilitated a reunion between former patient Nicole Gallacher, her husband Dave and medical staff.

Nicole was rushed to Austin Hospital in March 2020 after having a major brain haemorrhage that damaged her lungs and caused the stillbirth of her baby boy Ned. It took a team of 19 from Austin Health and Mercy Hospital for Women nine hours to perform the brain, lung and obstetric surgery that saved her life.

What followed was months of rehabilitation as Nicole had to learn how to walk and live independently.

On the morning of Tuesday 6 December 2022, Nicole and Dave welcomed a little baby boy into the world. Aptly named Angus Michael Andrew Gallacher. Angus after Associate Professor Augusto (Gus) Gonzalvo who was the Austin Health neurosurgeon that saved her life, Michael after the paramedic that brought her in and Andrew after Associate Professor Andrew Hilton the former Deputy Director of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Austin Health.

Dave says the decision to name Angus the way they did was an easy one.

“Just into the pregnancy, I said to Nicole I know we’ve had some names there, but how about this. Nicole agreed straight away, she absolutely loved the idea. Baby Gus wouldn’t be here without any of them, so we thought it was fitting to honour them in his name,” Dave says.

“For Mike to get her to the hospital, and for Gus to work on her for so long in pretty dire circumstances, and then what Andrew did in ICU… the fight they put in for Nicole was just incredible.”

Paramedic Cullen, Augusto and Stephen meet baby Gus for the first time

Since giving birth, Nicole and Dave haven’t had a chance to visit all the people they would’ve liked to say thank you. This reunion is the first time they have all been in the same room together since Nicole was on the ward.

“For them to see Nicole and see the progress, that’s a really meaningful thank you. They see the result of their hard work. There’s a whole new life that’s been created, a whole new life that’s going to be lived, a whole new role for Nicole and I as mum and dad that’s come about because of everything all the people at the Austin have done for us,” says Dave.

Former Deputy Director of ICU at Austin Health, A/Prof Andrew Hilton, sadly passed away in February 2022.

Director of ICU A/Prof Stephen Warrillow who attended the reunion says it’s “a poignant moment for us, as Andrew cannot be there. He would have been so happy for them.”

“It makes sense to be here today, and it’s reassuring for your career. For neurosurgery, unfortunately the outcomes are not always that great, so when you have something like this, it makes us really happy,” says A/Prof Gus Gonzalvo.

Nicole has since seen dramatic improvements in her recovery, now being able to walk around the house without a walking frame or walking stick. Although she hasn’t got back to her job as a primary school teacher, she has started tutoring from home.

This year, Nicole was able to attend the footy again, something that they would do as a family prior to her stroke.

“A little milestone in itself was moving away from the accessible seating and getting into the general seating and back with the family. Little improvements and little things along the way like that have been great,” says Dave.

If you or a loved one has experienced stillbirth, newborn loss, or pregnancy loss and would like some support you can contact SANDS Australia on 1300 072 637.