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About that friend of mine....


jsharr

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The back story is that she has eczema and this spring, she got sick.  Thought is was flu, symptoms got worse over three days.  Went to ER, found out that she had gotten Strep A infection due to open sore from eczema and necrotizing fascitis.  Lots of tissue death.  Lost both hands and both feet and all of her left pectoral and much of her left upper arm muscle.   Life and death struggle for the first few weeks.  In an induced coma,  not aware of the amputations, etc.  Was on dialysis and had to have a tracheotomy due to prolonged intubation.  Funniliy, she remembers very little of this.  She jokes that she never saw God when she hears how close to death she was.  

 

She has been getting better, much better.  Off dialysis completely.  Has her voice back.  Is going to rehab for hours a day.  Is researching her options on arms and legs.  Can still feel and control her hand muscles, so that is a good sign and she should be able to get movable hands on her new arms.

 

Last week she was in a custom chair that could do tons of stuff, but it is so big you have to have a custom van with a ramp to use it.  When I asked her if she was going to get one of the vans, she told me "NO!", she is going to get her arms and legs and drive her own car!  It was very cool.

 

This week, we just hung out together with her family and the other family in our group that is very close.  The women all sat on the couch together as we watched the Harry Potter movies.  Stayed until the last minute as she has to be back at the hospital by midnight.  It seemed so natural to see my wife helping Kathryn eat and drink, but cannot wait until Kathryn can do it all on her own.  All the boys seem to have taken it in stride. They see her as mom, or friend, or whatever and still just come up to her and hug her, etc.  She is so happy to be back home and not stuck in a hospital.

 

We are already making plans for our trip to Greenwood Creek Ranch, a ranch that her great grandfather built on the banks of the Colorado river near Lampasas, Texas in the 1930s.  Beautiful place, Again, cannot wait to be there again with Kathryn and her family and our families.

 

And yes, as Roadrunner said, it is an honor to call her friend.  This would have stopped so many, maybe including me, dead in our tracks, but she still has a great attitude and a strong will and is inspiring so many around her.  

 

One case is rehab.  She is the only quadruple amputee there and she works so hard that she inspires all the other patients who have lost only one or two limbs to do more.  When she got to come home last week, nurses from the ER and the first hospital she was at came to visit her and told stories about how inspirational she had been.  It was very cool.

 

Also, my wife got her hair stylist friend to come over yesterday and do Kathryn's hair for her while she was at home.  It seems like such a small thing, but it made her so happy, she was telling people that called about how good it was to look like herself again.

 

This has also been a huge stress on their family.  The husband has not bee sleeping, has lost tons of weight, was very withdrawn, etc.   He was much more himself again yesterday.  Smiling, engaged, joking with all of us.

 

It is going to be a long road back but the light at the end of the tunnel that once was not existent is now very bright and very near.

 

Sorry that this is sort of rambling and disjointed, just sort of writing stuff as I remember it.  

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I'm glad to hear it seems like she'll make it. From what you had said in the past it didn't seem like that was any kind of guarantee.

 

I can't imagine the trauma of being in the hospital that long. If there's anything we can do as a forum, let's talk about it. Maybe we can pull together to help do something nice for the family.

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I'm glad to hear it seems like she'll make it. From what you had said in the past it didn't seem like that was any kind of guarantee.

 

I can't imagine the trauma of being in the hospital that long. If there's anything we can do as a forum, let's talk about it. Maybe we can pull together to help do something nice for the family.

Right now they are very well taken care of.  if I hear of any sort of fund being started, etc. I will be sure to let the forum know.  I have no idea how this has affected them financially, but that is not top of the list right now.   Thanks for the offer.

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Peace be the ties that bind. 

 

Financial matters may not be on the table, so maybe we can talk smiling face cookies? 

I really have not told Kathryn about sharing her story with ya'll, other than to let her know that people all over the world she has never met are praying for her, sending her vibes, postive thoughts, etc.  One of the owners of the ice cream shop Sweet Firefly lives down the alley.  She brought Kathryn some Coffee Toffee Crucnch ice cream last night, so I know she would appreciate sweets.

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