Heather Brown, of Gladewater, Texas, has died, 14 years after an aneurysm-related coma left her unable to wake. She fell ill in 2012 while 34 weeks pregnant, and doctors delivered her son by emergency caesarean section; her husband, Sean, returned from serving in Afghanistan to be with them.

Their son, John, was born on 15 September 2012, weighing 4lb 6oz. Sean cared for Heather at home from 2013 and shared occasional signs of communication, including her first speech in 2014; by 2015 she could move her fingers, blink to answer questions and whisper a few words. She died on 18 September, shortly after John’s 14th birthday, and a memorial service is scheduled for 10 October.