Below Deck Camera Operator Brent Freeburg Comatose After 2 Strokes
Originally appeared on E! Online
Brent Freeburg is fighting for his life.
The Below Deck camera operator has been in a coma following two strokes and a subdural hematoma Feb. 15, his family shared on GoFundMe.
"Never has our family experienced a tragedy like this," the post began. "He was found after family had a neighbor check on him. He wasn't heard from for a few days, which is unlike Brent."
After having emergency surgery for the subdural hematoma, which is a buildup of blood on the surface of the brain, Freeburg suffered strokes that left his left side "weak." While the family is unsure if there will be lasting effects, they say his neurologist told them the "damaged part of his brain" appears to affect the "left side of the body and nothing else, so far."
Since being admitted, Freeburg—who also worked on other reality TV shows, including Dance Moms, Are You the One? and Nailed It!—has been on a breathing tube and sedatives as his body continues to heal.
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Since being admitted, Freeburg—who also worked on other reality TV shows, including Dance Moms, Are You the One? and Nailed It!—has been on a breathing tube and sedatives as his body continues to heal.
The cameraman, who is currently fighting off an infection, has also been on antibiotics and pain medication, his cousin shared in an update on Instagram Feb. 27. Thankfully, he appears to be making progress.
"His fever goes up and down, so he's still on Tylenol," Freeburg's cousin Jane MacMurchy, who organized the GoFundMe, captioned the post. "Good thing is he did move his toes and squeeze his hand on command. Especially good with all the stuff he's on. And yesterday's cat scan showed no changes... which is good news, too. Small steps."
Freeburg previously earned praise on Below Deck during a shocking moment in which he saved season six deckhand Ashton Pienaar, who went overboard after the line used to bring in the tender wrapped around his ankle and dragged him into the ocean.
Following the news of Freeburg's stroke, the reality star reflected on the heroic move that saved his life.
"Some people leave an impact on your life that you can never repay," Pienaar wrote on Instagram Feb. 25. "Brent is one of those people for me. I just heard that he's suffered a stroke, and it's a tough thing to process when someone who's given you so much is now facing their own battle. Wishing him strength, healing, and a full recovery."
Despite saving the Below Deck alum's life, Freeburg wasn't interested in taking all the credit.
"I would say that it wasn't just me," he explained during the season six reunion in 2019. "I've been getting a lot of attention, for sure … it was really collectively all of us that came together."
However, the crew knew that his quick thinking was what narrowly avoided a tragic accident.
As Captain Lee Rosbach, who was in charge of the charter, said during the reunion, "Brent—that guy's a hero. How many people can say they saved a life? But he did."
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