Help Kristen Heal from Debilitating Error during Childbirth

As some of you may know, my good friend Kristen (Mount) Ritter moved to Austria a few years ago to marry the love of her life and build a beautiful family together. However, she and her family have been suffering tremendously over this past year. What should have been one of the best days of her and her family’s lives turned into one of the absolute worst and they have been living a nightmare ever since.

On April 2, 2024, Kristen and her husband Rene welcomed their beautiful daughter Lily into the world. However, Kristen was the victim of a medical error during epidural anesthesia that would change her life. The epidural given during childbirth that so many women have had without problems gave Kristen a Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Leak.

Within a matter of days, this medical error left Kristen so debilitated that she was barely able to walk to the bathroom on her own. For those of you unfamiliar with CSF, it is the fluid that surrounds the brain and cushions it. When the anesthesiologist made a mistake and pushed the needle in too far, it created a hole in the dura which let the CSF drain out from where it should have been. This left Kristen with a perpetual severe concussion; dizzy, disoriented, unable to speak or eat, and in unimaginable pain every time she tried to lift her head. Instead of being able to bond with her beautiful daughter, she spent the weeks after birth completely bedbound and hospitalized.

Over the past 9 months, Kristen has been an inpatient in the hospital for 8 weeks, being admitted 5 different times. She received 4 epidural blood patches, where a doctor injects the patient's own blood in her back to try and close the hole leaking CSF fluid. While these measures helped, she still had many symptoms and was unable to do things like drive, go to the store, or care for her children alone.

In November Kristen journeyed to Freiburg, Germany to have an exploratory surgery with the best CSF leak experts in Europe. During this surgery, the problem was thankfully found: an arachnoid bleb made by the needle that was preventing the hole from closing. The surgeon was able to repair the problem but given that CSF Leaks are a very complex disease, the surgery still has only a 50% success rate in eliminating all symptoms and sealing the leak permanently.

Kristen and her family remain hopeful and continue to fight every day to recover. The recovery will be long and difficult, lasting at least a year but likely more. Kristen is still unable to bend or twist her spine or lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. This unfortunately includes both her children; Lily who is 8 months and Caleb who is almost 3 years old. Hopefully, this will be the last surgery Kristen will need, however, this will still give her lifelong restrictions including no yoga, surfing, or skiing, all of which Kristen greatly enjoyed.

This time has been unimaginably difficult for Kristen, Rene, Caleb, and Lily. Her husband Rene was due to start his dream job in July. He regrettably had to quit this position so that he could care for his wife and their children. Kristen’s mother, Nellie, has been with them caring for Lily and Caleb almost the entire time. Nellie has been an unbelievable blessing during this time but unfortunately must return home in January (for a well-deserved break and due to visa reasons since Kristen and her family live in Austria).

While Rene’s mom will help as much as she is able to, Kristen and Rene will most likely have to hire help to care for their children since Kristen is unable to lift Lily and therefore care for her on her own.

Being a victim of this medical mistake has devastated Kristen and her family physically, emotionally, and financially. Although most of Kristen’s healthcare costs were covered by insurance, not all of them were. Additionally, the financial burden of hiring help with lost salaries and the fact that Kristen will be unable to start working in the spring as planned is taking a huge toll on their family.

It is because of this I have started this fundraising effort so that Kristen and her family can focus on what matters the most: her recovery and caring for their children.

For those looking to help, please consider sending prayers or a financial contribution to help with the enormous financial strain on Kristen and her family. Every donation matters, no matter what the size, and will make a huge helpful difference in their lives. Please keep Kristen and her family in her prayers as no person ever deserves to face this massive hardship that has come into their lives.