After falling critically ill during her Japan honeymoon in April, San Antonio labor and delivery nurse Sarah Danh is on the road to recovery — and according to her family, her rapid progress “continues to feel nothing short of a miracle.”
“She has progressed faster than anyone anticipated, and we are incredibly grateful for the outstanding care she has received,” Danh’s uncle, Khang Le, wrote on behalf of her parents in a Monday social media post.
Her rapid progress marks a dramatic turnaround after weeks of life-threatening complications that left loved ones fearing the worst.
Just two days into her honeymoon with her new husband Luke Gradl, Danh was diagnosed with acute liver failure. The condition triggered several serious health issues for Danh, including jaundice, vomiting, body aches and “extreme” hepatic encephalopathy amid her initial diagnosis.
As her condition progressed, her kidneys were failing, and she was struggling with intracranial brain pressure, Gradl said. After being medically evacuated from Japan to San Antonio on April 21, she underwent an MRI brain scan — which revealed that she had suffered a stroke that resulted in “what appeared to be severe bilateral brain damage” before returning home, Le wrote in an April 26 post.
This week, however, Le announced that Danh had reached a major milestone in her recovery: “One of the most meaningful milestones has been her ability to remember, recognize, and communicate with family and friends,” he wrote Monday. “Physically, she is gaining strength each day and making steady, encouraging progress.”
He gave a special thanks to the liver specialists at Methodist Transplant Hospital, noting that her liver remains stable “with some expected fluctuations,” and that her “care team will continue to monitor her closely.” Danh’s recovery journey will continue at TIRR Rehabilitation in Houston, “where she will begin focused physical and cognitive therapy as the next step in her recovery,” Le added.
Despite the harrowing ordeal, Danh’s family, friends and loved ones have continued to remain optimistic about her recovery.
“We are deeply thankful for how far she has come and remain hopeful and optimistic about what lies ahead,” Le wrote. “Again, thank you for all your heartfelt support and prayers.”