Kathleen Baptist Story of Survival
Donation protected
January 2017 started out well for my family. My mom Kathleen had a meeting with her oncologist. He congratulated her on reaching her 5 year mark of being cancer free. She thanked him and told him that she hoped she never had to see him again. My dad David was recovering well from a heart attack that he had suffered only two months earlier, in November of 2016. The only problem was that my mom had some lasting damage from her radiation treatments, and she required a stent in her kidney to keep her ureter (the tube that allows fluid to leave your kidney) open and her kidney working properly until it could repair itself. Every 6 months, the doctors would take out the stent to see if her kidney could work on it’s own, if not they would replace the stent and try again. January 25th was to be the last attempt.
That’s when things went wrong.
Less than 24 hours after her stent was removed, my mom was rushed back into the ER because the ureter had collapsed and the stent needed to be replaced. Unfortunately it took 3 days to get her into an operating room for the stent replacement. By that point it was too late. During the wait, mom developed a kidney infection due to her kidney being unable to drain. The infection got worse and spread into her blood, causing her to go into sepsis which quickly escalated into severe septic shock. Three days after being admitted to the ER she was moved into the ICU with multiple organ failure, including her liver, kidneys and she suffered a mild heart attack. After 72 hours with no improvement, the doctors told my family that she had a 60% mortality rate. Two days later, that rate was raised to 80%. My mom required a breathing tube as well as 16 types of medicine to stay alive. One of those medicines is what is called a ‘restrictive’ medicine, and it caused her blood to focus on her main organs instead of the extremities.
After 17 days my mom's vitals were strong enough to stop the restrictive medications and bring her slowly out of sedation. After 5 weeks in the ICU she was out of the critical zone and moved from the ICU into a different ward. We are overjoyed and thankful to say that she survived all of this, and is still with us today. But unfortunately the very same restrictive medicine that saved her life, had some devastating effects. During those 17 days she had very minimal blood flow to her arms and legs. This caused her feet and most of her fingers to become necrotic. Because of that, she has had to undergo some sort of amputation on every limb.
At this point in time, my mom has been in the hospital for 8 months. My mom also has to learn how to do everything all over again. She now has to re-learn how to walk with a prosthetic leg and an orthopaedic foot, as well as how to utilize her hands. Her left hand was left with no fingers, and she has lost the tips of all her fingers on her right hand.
My mom has been dragged through hell and back this past year, and though she still has some minor surgeries left to undergo she is looking forward to coming home to her family. But before she can come home, our home needs some drastic but necessary alterations to make it accessible for her. With both primary earner’s on leave from work due to medical issues, times are tight. Though we are looking into and applying for grants that are available, there is still a very large amount that will not be covered. We are asking for donations of any size to help us with the alterations needed to our house such as widened hallways, ramps, a handicap accessible washroom, as well as the cost of medications, supplies and transportation to and from physical rehabilitation that will be occurred in the near future.
We are grateful for donations of any amount, and if you are unable to donate at this time that you please share this page to help us reach others. We love our mom so much and need her to come back home as soon as possible. F rom the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who donates
That’s when things went wrong.
Less than 24 hours after her stent was removed, my mom was rushed back into the ER because the ureter had collapsed and the stent needed to be replaced. Unfortunately it took 3 days to get her into an operating room for the stent replacement. By that point it was too late. During the wait, mom developed a kidney infection due to her kidney being unable to drain. The infection got worse and spread into her blood, causing her to go into sepsis which quickly escalated into severe septic shock. Three days after being admitted to the ER she was moved into the ICU with multiple organ failure, including her liver, kidneys and she suffered a mild heart attack. After 72 hours with no improvement, the doctors told my family that she had a 60% mortality rate. Two days later, that rate was raised to 80%. My mom required a breathing tube as well as 16 types of medicine to stay alive. One of those medicines is what is called a ‘restrictive’ medicine, and it caused her blood to focus on her main organs instead of the extremities.
After 17 days my mom's vitals were strong enough to stop the restrictive medications and bring her slowly out of sedation. After 5 weeks in the ICU she was out of the critical zone and moved from the ICU into a different ward. We are overjoyed and thankful to say that she survived all of this, and is still with us today. But unfortunately the very same restrictive medicine that saved her life, had some devastating effects. During those 17 days she had very minimal blood flow to her arms and legs. This caused her feet and most of her fingers to become necrotic. Because of that, she has had to undergo some sort of amputation on every limb.
At this point in time, my mom has been in the hospital for 8 months. My mom also has to learn how to do everything all over again. She now has to re-learn how to walk with a prosthetic leg and an orthopaedic foot, as well as how to utilize her hands. Her left hand was left with no fingers, and she has lost the tips of all her fingers on her right hand.
My mom has been dragged through hell and back this past year, and though she still has some minor surgeries left to undergo she is looking forward to coming home to her family. But before she can come home, our home needs some drastic but necessary alterations to make it accessible for her. With both primary earner’s on leave from work due to medical issues, times are tight. Though we are looking into and applying for grants that are available, there is still a very large amount that will not be covered. We are asking for donations of any size to help us with the alterations needed to our house such as widened hallways, ramps, a handicap accessible washroom, as well as the cost of medications, supplies and transportation to and from physical rehabilitation that will be occurred in the near future.
We are grateful for donations of any amount, and if you are unable to donate at this time that you please share this page to help us reach others. We love our mom so much and need her to come back home as soon as possible. F rom the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who donates
Organizer and beneficiary
Hayley Baptist
Organizer
Innisfil, ON
Kathleen Baptist
Beneficiary