A woman embraced art and motherhood in the Black Rock Desert.
Indeed, Burning Man attendee Kayla Thompson didn’t know she was pregnant until she unexpectedly welcomed her and husband Kasey Thompson’s daughter Aurora on Aug. 27—during the actual 2025 festival.
“It’s an absolute miracle,” Kasey, 39, told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published on Aug. 29. “Had I known [about the pregnancy], that’s the absolutely last place on this planet I would have been.”
Kasey went on to note that Kayla, 36, showed “no signs” or “morning sickness” as they enjoyed the Nevada festival. However, it wasn’t until the couple—who traveled to the event from Utah—went back to their RV before dawn that his wife suddenly went into labor.
“It was absolutely 100 percent a cryptic pregnancy,” he explained. “She wasn’t even showing.”
He continued of the unexpected delivery, “I just started yelling for anyone to come help me. In a matter of minutes we had an [obstetrician], a NICU nurse, a pediatrician in there. I don’t know where they all came from, they just came.”
Miraculously, the three medical professionals were living in a camper next door when they heard Kasey’s screams. The publication reported that the “crew scrambled to tend to” Kayla once Aurora was born, keeping them comfortable with “clean blankets and saline.” Their baby girl was then transported to a neonatal intensive care unit in Reno alone, as there was no space for them to travel with her.
“The medical staff at Burning Man grabbed me and just hugged me and said he’s not going to let her out of sight,” he continued. “He kept reassuring me she’s going to be OK.”
As of now, the duo is still living in Reno as their daughter remains in the hospital. And as their daughter continues to receive treatment, the duo—who relocated to Reno shortly after the birth—created a GoFundMe to help cover medical bills and “baby supplies.”
“She is currently in the NICU, gaining strength every day,” Kasey’s sister, Lacey Paxman, wrote on the fundraiser. “Mom and baby are both doing okay, but she will need to stay in the hospital until she is ready to come home. Since this is their first child and the pregnancy was completely unexpected, my brother and his wife don’t have anything prepared.”
Meanwhile, the festival congratulated the couple on their bundle of joy.
“Burning Man Project would like to extend congratulations and well-wishes to the family,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Today. “In the midst of wind, heat, and storms, they brought new life into the world in Black Rock City. Of all the things we celebrate at Burning Man, bringing life, connection, transformation, and joy are dearest to our hearts.”
(E! And Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
