Zoey 101 star Jamie Lynn Spears faced a harrowing experience when her eldest daughter, Maddie Briann Aldridge, endured a near-fatal accident in 2017. The incident unfolded during a ride on Maddie's ATV at her grandparents' house, leading to a sequence of events that would forever impact the Spears family.
While riding the quad bike, Maddie lost control, and the ATV ended up submerged in a pond with her strapped in. The situation quickly turned dire, with Maddie unconscious, her body distended, and her face swollen and blue.
In her book Things I Should Have Said, Jamie recounted the trauma of witnessing her daughter's lifeless body and the frantic efforts of emergency responders to revive her.
The EMT's attempts at CPR seemed futile, and the outlook appeared bleak. Jamie described the heart-wrenching moment when she believed she had lost her daughter.
She wrote: “Wordlessly the EMT grabbed her lifeless body, flipped it over and began pounding on her back. I knew what I had just witnessed. My daughter's lifeless body."
The news of Maddie's passing spread, and the family grappled with the devastating reality. However, a glimmer of hope emerged when a firefighter announced they had detected Maddie's pulse.
The journey continued in the hospital, where Maddie's survival remained uncertain. The emotional rollercoaster took an unexpected turn when Jamie's husband, Jamie Watson, was able to get a response from Maddie, signalling that she was on the path to recovery.
Reflecting on the pivotal moment, Jamie shared: "I looked up and my eyes widened at the wide-eyed expression on Jamie's face. He was looking into Maddie's open eyes.
“She painstakingly raised her finger with the pulse oximeter on it and pointed the small red light at Jamie. He smiled and said, 'E.T., phone home.' She held her finger up for a moment longer and he said it again. 'E.T., phone home.' At that moment I knew she was definitely coming back to us.”
Today, Maddie has not only survived but thrived, reaching the age of 14. Jamie expressed her gratitude and joy on Instagram, celebrating Maddie's birthday and acknowledging the profound impact her daughter has had on her life.
The actress penned: “I’m so thankful for each and every day I get to be her mama, even during these teenage years lol. She has been my saving grace, since the day she was born.”
Jamie has now bid farewell to Maddie and her younger daughter Ivey Joan Watson, 5, for the timebeing as she lands in Australia for her upcoming stint on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
She's hoping to clear up some misconceptions about herself during her time on the show, which returns on Sunday, 19 November with a star-studded cast of 10 celebrities.
"There is literally every misconception you can have on a person about me so I don't take any of it seriously. But I do think going on I'm A Celebrity will be a nice way for people to see the real me. This is an opportunity to be myself and do something really cool and have some awesome experiences in the meantime.”
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