Los Angeles (KTLA) – Kayla Katler was six-and-a-half months pregnant with her first child when she died from a massive brain hemorrhage.
Katler was just 21 years old.
Doctors found she had a small blood clot during her pregnancy. Katler’s condition continued to worsen until she had a seizure, her boyfriend, Derek Ellison, said.
Family members described Katler as being active and healthy prior to the discovery of the blood clot.
“I was a little bit shocked that she had gotten so bad so fast, and to the point where there was nothing anybody could do for her” said Christy Katler, Kayla’s mother.
Doctors performed an emergency cesarean section and were able to save the baby, named Brayden Ellison.
“They did an emergency c-section, and my son was born,” Ellison said.
Brayden, who has been described as a “miracle,” came into the world weighing 3 pounds, 6 ounces. He has been in the NICU at Tarzana Medical Center since his July 21 birth.
Baby Brayden will finally be leaving the hospital on Tuesday.
“It’s really sad to know that she’s not the one bringing him home,” Christy Katler said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
Instead, Ellison will be the one taking the newborn home.
“With the support system I have, there’s not a lot to be afraid of,” he said.
The devastated father said he is coping with the loss of his girlfriend one day at a time. He described Brayden as “the last gift she ever gave me.”
The family has asked for help with medical expenses and to set up a college fund for the baby.
