Danielle Campo McLeod says road to recovery is her 'new Olympics'
CBC
When she was a teenager, Danielle Campo McLeod was a Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder in swimming. Two decades later, she's beaten the odds once again after surviving near-fatal complications following the birth of her daughter.
"It was really touch and go ... but I fought really hard to stay here," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.
"I just knew I have more work to do, and more to give back to our community."
Campo McLeod gave birth to her daughter, Morgan, by caesarian section on Aug. 17, at Windsor Regional Hospital.
They were both healthy but Campo McLeod had to undergo surgery about a week later for a bowel obstruction.
She developed pneumonia and later went into septic shock and needed emergency surgery. Eventually, she was airlifted to University Hospital in London.
"There was three times that they let my entire family in a room together and said, you know, 'we're trying everything,'" she told CBC Radio's Windsor Morning from hospital, where she remains in recovery.