Man Resolute To Not Take His Critically-Injured Wife Off Life Support After Encounter With Her In ‘A Dream’

Sep 18, 2023 by apost team

The year 2017 was when Jovanna Calzadillas, a mom from Arizona, experienced a life-changing occurrence that shook her to the core. The incident signified a drastic change in Jovanna's existence, but she proved to be quite resilient, moving past the most delicate period of her injury and defying the odds even as doctors doubted her recovery. 

Jovanna was one of the mass shooting victims who sustained severe injuries at the 91 Route Festival in Las Vegas. The incident happened in October 2017, leaving the concert-goer confined to a hospital bed for four months. Jovanna was in a coma for 18 days, during which doctors advised her spouse, Frank Calzadillas, to pull her off life support. However, he became even more determined to see her regain consciousness after an out-of-body experience. 

On Oct. 1, 2017, Jovanna and Frank attended the Route 91 Harvest Festival to celebrate Frank's safe return from Air Force deployment in Afghanistan. Country star Jason Aldean performed on that fateful day. Unfortunately, when the couple were celebrating, gunman Stephen Paddock, who was on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay resort, started shooting the crowd from his room. Paddock's mass shooting led to the death of 58 people and 851 wounded, including Jovanna, before he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Jovanna was shot in the head, and the bullet hit the left side of her brain, which processed language. During the delicate period of her health, Jovanna and Frank were able to receive help and support from friends and family. A GoFundMe page was also set up by the Salt River Police Department to assist the family. 

Jovanna's brain injury was very critical, which had doctors doubting a possible recovery. Due to this, the health professionals in charge suggested Frank pull her off life support, but everything changed when she appeared to him in one of his dreams. During a 2018 press appearance, Frank shared:

"I had a dream that Jovanna visited me. She hugged me and kissed me and she said everything's gonna be OK. I called her mom and said we're keeping Jovanna alive, she's gonna be alright."

Although the doctors made such a suggestion, Frank shared that he was not upset by it. He was able to keep his wife on life support, and after a little over two weeks, Jovanna regained consciousness. She was transferred to Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix when she woke up. While examining Jovanna, Dr. Christina Kwasnica, the medical director of Barrow's Neuro Rehabilitation Center, shared:

"I knew she wouldn't be able to comprehend language to follow commands but her eyes were open and she was able to track in a very small way with her eyes. This told me that she was unresponsive because of a language deficit, not because of the severity of her injury. She was not dying." 

Fortunately, Jovanna became responsive to treatment at Barrow after inpatient neuro-rehabilitation. She did not need a ventilator anymore and could also walk with the help of an exoskeleton. Jovanna's recovery was tagged "amazing" by surgeons. During the press conference before she was released from Barrow, the mother-of-two affirmed, "I will not quit on them and I will not quit on myself." 

Frank expressed gratitude for having faith and not giving up on his wife. Jovanna was later discharged from the hospital for outpatient therapy.

apost.com

Isn't it magnificent to witness Jovanna Calzadillas' comeback thanks to her husband's staunch belief? What do you think about Frank's extraordinary encounter? Have you ever experienced anything like that? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to others.