A popular progressive Christian author and speaker has been placed in a medically induced coma according to her husband. 

Rachel Held Evans tweeted on April 14 that she had been hospitalized due to a combination of the flu, urinary tract infection, and an allergic reaction to medication she had been given. She had asked her followers to pray for her at the time.

She first tweeted on April 9 that she had gotten sick with the flu. She then tweeted again on April 10, "Y'all this A strain is no joke," in reference to the Influenza A strain of the virus.

Her illness worsened and rumours of her condition began to circulate online. On Friday her husband, Dan, updated her website confirming the seriousness of her illness.

"During treatment for an infection Rachel began exhibiting unexpected symptoms," he wrote. "Doctors found that her brain was experiencing constant seizures. She is currently in the ICU. She is in a medically induced coma while the doctors work to determine the cause and solution."

Online prayer chain

Followers began using the hashtag #PrayForRHE on Friday and it quickly began to trend.

Evans' friend and fellow author, Sarah Bessey had started the trend, calling people to an hour-long prayer vigil during the afternoon of Good Friday.

Evans first book, Faith Unraveled, documented her journey from conservative evangelicalism, to doubt, back to faith.

Her next book became a New York Times bestseller. In A Year of Biblcial Womanhood Evans sought to take all of the Bible’s instructions for women as literally as possible for a year.