Married in a coma after having suffered a stroke during N.Y.C. Honeymoon

Francheska and Joe Bechara were only a few days into their honeymoon when the tragedy struck.

The couple married on October 7 in Sydney, Australia, before heading to New York to begin a three-week honeymoon in the United States, according to an Australian newspaper 9News.com. However, just days after the start of the trip, Francheska suffered a stroke.

"Joe went out to smoke and she was doing a physical training," Joe Toubia, brother-in-law, Joe Francheska, told reporters. "He came back and found her unconscious. It looked like she had been trying to use her phone to ask for help.

Francheska, 27, was rushed to a local hospital where doctors reportedly told Joe that his wife had been the victim of "multiple strokes," according to a GoFundMe page created for the couple by Joe's colleagues. .

Francheska (left) and Joe Bechara

gofundme

"Francheska has undergone 3 major brain operations to reduce swelling," reads in a fundraiser. "What is only the beginning of the recovery."

Toubia told 9News that Francheska had been placed in a medically-induced coma. Depending on the site and the couple's GoFundMe page, it will take at least three months before Francheska can return to Australia. And the doctors would work to determine the cause of the stroke.

"She knew no conditions," Toubia told 9News. "She was completely healthy. Doctors can not find the problem that caused all this. "

Officials from Milestone Civil Australia, where Joe worked, confirmed the "horrible news" in a Facebook message, saying the couple had "a long road ahead of them".

Francheska showed signs of improvement and managed to shake hands with her mother, Georgette El-Ters.

"Her mother asked her to shake hands if she understood and she did, which was great," Toubia told 9News. "To be honest, she responds better than expected to the doctors, but the process will be long before the swelling goes down and they can discover the actual extent of the damage."

The couple had recently bought a house in Australia and planned to move in after their honeymoon, according to the GoFundMe page. However, the future of the couple remains uncertain.

"All their life is now, who knows, she's just waiting to see how she will recover, it's just terrible," said a friend of the couple, Sue Richardson, at 9News.