Courtney Mosser was at the end of her pregnancy during the height of hurricane season. The 38-year-old mother of one knew that her baby was breech and she’d need to have a scheduled Cesarean section to give birth safely. With her surgery scheduled for September 28, 2024, at 40 weeks, Mosser felt at ease.
But as her C-section date approached, so did Hurricane Helene. Mosser, who lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina, with her husband, Justin, and son, Dylan, 3, was trapped in her home with no idea how she’d get to Asheville to have her baby.
Dr. C.J. Atkinson from Novant Health in Charlotte learned Mosser needed help, and nothing would stop him from getting to her and her baby. It’s an incredible story with the happiest ending we’ve heard in a very long time.
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Mosser had no idea how severe the storm would be.
She told People she figured Hurricane Helene would make things inconvenient, but Mosser never imagined she’d be trapped. After Helene hit, the Mossers had no power, and the mom became concerned. Her husband went to town to try and get cell service but couldn’t pass.
“He got to a point where there was a river running through the road and then there was a sinkhole and landslides up and down the highway we take to get out of our neighborhood,” Mosser told People.
Neighbors pooled their resources to help.
Those on Black Mountain realized that only one person had internet service and another had a satellite phone, People reported. Loved ones posted on social media about Mosser and her need to get to the hospital, and it quickly took flight.
Atkinson, a former Army surgeon now working with Novant Health, got the call that Mosser needed help. He had yet to learn how risky the situation was.
“I told her, ‘I have a helicopter here, we need to get you off the mountain,” Atkinson told People. But the mom didn’t want to leave her husband and son behind and “wanted them to come. She just lost it crying when I told her they couldn’t but we had to get her off the mountain.”
The mother begrudgingly got on the helicopter with Atkinson.
It wasn’t easy, but Mosser knew that she had to leave to save her baby. In an interview with Novant Health, she explained that Atkinson made all the difference.
“He did put me at ease so much, which made a lot easier,” Mosser said. “He was saying, ‘I know what it’s like to leave like your children behind (for deployments) when you don’t want to.’ So it was nice, because he validated that it was hard and acknowledged that and said, I understand it. And then my rational brain could kind of kick back on, and I got out of that panic.”
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Mom and baby are doing great.
The team made it to Asheville but found out the hospital where she planned to deliver was on a generator, so their plans changed. Mosser made her way to Charlotte, where she gave birth to her daughter, Maya.
“When I saw her, it was an amazing feeling. She cried immediately, and I knew she was healthy,” Mosser told People, “and that was just overwhelming relief.”
There aren’t many birth stories quite as exciting as Maya’s. Her mom said it would be quite a story to reveal someday.
“She was born breech during a hurricane on an eclipse [on Oct. 2], so I think she’s a pretty powerful being,” Mosser said, per People. “And I’m gonna tell her there’s nothing she can’t accomplish and show her how many people already care about her. I think I’ll make sure to tell her that, too.”
