Rory Feek’s Daughter Rushed Back to the Hospital After Emergency Post-Surgical Complication

Rory Feek's 12-year-old daughter Indiana was rushed back to the hospital via medical evacuation helicopter two weeks after she underwent open heart surgery.

There, she underwent a second surgical procedure to drain fluid from around her heart. The fluid buildup was a complication from her initial surgery.

In a blog post, Feek details how a scary progression of symptoms — including a fainting episode that he couldn't wake Indiana out of — prompted him and his wife Rebecca to call 911 in the small hours of Thursday morning (July 9.)

Read More: Rory Feek's 12-Year-Old Daughter is Having Open Heart Surgery

• Indiana Feek had open heart surgery on June 25 to correct a ventricular septal defect (VSD).
• The procedure went well, and recovery had been going more smoothly than expected.
• Indiana had the surgery in Austin, Texas, and after a week of recuperating in the city, the family had returned home to Waco.

Rory Feek's Daughter Suffers a Serious Post-Surgical Complication After Heart Surgery

In his blog, Feek says that her symptoms overnight between Wednesday (July 8) and Thursday. Initially, they thought she was suffering from a stomach bug. But she kept throwing up, and she was also experiencing episodes of light-headedness.

"And after another vomiting session and trip to the bathroom, she had passed out as we were walking her back to bed. And we couldn't get her to wake up," Feek continues.

The family called 911, and paramedics quickly arrived to take Indiana to a hospital near Waco.

"I'm not going to go into the moment-by-moment details that led to us calling 911 — both of us holding her in our arms, literally crying, begging for help — but let's just say that neither Rebecca, nor I, have been as scared in our lives as we were Thursday morning," Feek writes.

"I can hardly think it, let alone write it," he adds, "but we thought we had lost her."

Rory Feek's Daughter Transported to Austin Hospital Via Life Flight Helicopter

In the Waco hospital, doctors did an initial test and made the call to transport her to the Austin hospital where she'd had her initial heart surgery. They brought the family up to the roof of the building, where a helicopter was waiting for them.

Indiana and Rebecca were loaded into the hospital, while Feek took their truck and made the approximately 100-mile trip to Austin.

"They gave us time to pray over Indy and for me to kiss her and Rebecca goodbye, and the helicopter lifted off to start their 30 minute flight," he recounts.

What Happened to Rory Feek's Daughter After Surgery?

At the Waco hospital, Indiana's medical team explained to Feek and Rebecca that Indiana was experiencing a buildup of fluid around her heart. It was a complication from her surgery, and she would need another surgical procedure to drain the fluid.

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"And then once again Rebecca and I...made the walk down the hall with Indy on a gurney and kissed her goodbye in the same area we did last time," Feek writes. "And two hours later, met her in a room in the same ICU where she'd originally been brought after her open heart surgery...exactly two weeks ago — almost to the hour."

How is Rory Feek's Daughter Doing Now?

Thankfully, the surgery to drain the fluid immediately helped Indiana start feeling better.

Surgeons told the Feeks that "as soon as the drain went in, her heart rate immediately went back to normal."

Feek says his daughter was "awake and feeling much better" by Thursday evening, and that by the following day, "Indy's color was back and she was pretty much her old self." Doctors expect her to make a full recovery.

The family will remain at the hospital for "a while," Feek writes, as Indiana continues to heal.

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"Maybe things like this are what it takes for God to get the undivided attention of His people. To get us to truly wake up and see what a gift the life He's given each of us truly is," he reflects.

"And so I'd say, Indy and our family aren't just okay today, we're more alive than ever. More grateful than ever before."