2024 has not been an easy year for the Duggar family. The conservative reality television family has been plagued with controversy in recent years, earning a bad reputation. However, things took a heartbreaking turn this year when a young family member passed away. Amid mourning the devastating loss, another relative recently opened up about a health scare that happened to her 1-year-old son.
Joy-Anna Duggar, in a YouTube vlog, detailed how she rushed her youngest son, Gunner, to the hospital due to a choking incident. The clip began, showing a distressed Joy-Anna in a hospital room at 11:30 pm while her husband, Austin Forsyth, held on to their sick toddler. The Counting On star emotionally recalled the events that led to the emergency hospitalization. “I was just feeding him a little bit off my plate, and I had a piece of ham, like Thanksgiving ham,” she said. “I was letting him chew on it and take a bite off of it, and he bit off more than he could chew and immediately started choking.”
The reality star explained that the incident happened while they were away on a camping trip, so the nearest hospital was at least an hour away. While fighting through tears, Joy-Anna handed over her son to Austin, an EMT, to perform the Heimlich maneuver. At this point, the ham had obstructed baby Gunner’s airways, and he wasn’t “breathing for 20 seconds.” She said, “I started crying ’cause I’m just like Lord, please protect him, like all of those what-ifs come to your mind right away.”
Joy-Anna Duggar Feared For Her Son’s Life
Luckily, Gunner was able to throw up some food but the troublesome ham didn’t surface. He then began taking some shallow breaths, prompting her and her husband to “get in the car and head to the hospital.” Throughout the ordeal, Joy-Anna shared how she turned to prayer.
“I was just crying out to God like, please save him, and I’ve never been to a point where, like, I thought I was going to lose one of my kids. It was just that thought of he is going to die came to my mind, and it just like was terrifying.”
Joy-Anna Forsyth
Luckily, Joy-Anna’s prayers were answered and the toddler drifted asleep. Upon getting to the hospital, Gunner started “breathing a lot better.” The relieved mother-of-three concluded her story, saying, “I was just so thankful that God protected him, and we made it to the hospital, and that whatever was in his throat wasn’t bothering him anymore.”
Joy-Anna’s family crisis comes just two months after her sister, Jill Duggar, suffered a pregnancy loss. Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, announced the stillbirth of their daughter in an emotional Instagram post in April.
