Help Katie Flanigan Walk Again
Donation protected
Hi! I'm a bilateral above knee amputee & I'm learning to walk again! I'm raising money to go to Oklahoma City for the Hanger Prosthetics Amputee Boot Camp this coming April 19-21 2018. People come using wheelchairs and leave never using one again! It is my dream to walk again.
In September 2009 my dad found me cold, blue, & not breathing in my room. He almost went to bed but something told him to check on me. He did CPR until the ambulance arrived. They had to shock me back to life immediately (and many more times throughout my stay). I went into cardiac arrest. All my organs were shutting down & I was in a vegetative state. I was in septic shock. Nobody working at the hospital spoke as if I would make it even through the night. Breathing tubes, life support, dialysis. Everyday was an "if". To my understanding, they gave me a medicine to help raise my blood pressure & it caused clots. Heparin induced thrombosis. My fingers and feet turned black & blistered. They didn't even bandage it thinking I was just going to die. Even if I didn't and I came out of The vegetative state they said I'd be brain dead, a 2 year old at best. 9 days in the doctor was in my room & said to the nurse "When are we going to amputate?" She responded, "The parents haven't signed off ". Not long after my Dad was in the room & I started to come to. Her rushed out & announced "I think she woke up!" I answered their questions (with head nods, I had a tube down my throat). I wasn't a vegetable. In fact, I didn't lose any cognitive function. The amputations were still an issue. They wanted to take all limbs all the way up to the torso. We called Kleinert & Kutz for a second opinion. We moved to University Hospital, where no one said "if". They amputated the legs twice, trying to save as much add they could. Then they amputated my fingers. I had blisters all over from that med so I was in the burn unit mostly. My surroundings were bleak but the nurses made it wonderful. I don't remember everything & some memories are hallucinations (from the trauma or the meds, idk). After my stay and healing time I started with prosthetics. I didn't get very far before I was in a car wreck, broke both arms & had to have MORE surgery. Then comes the bottomless pit of depression. I finally took control & started with the prosthetics beginning of last year. After making some cool progress pain came on & it came on strong. It shut me down completely. The pain is now controlled through meds & physical therapy. I attended the Amputee Coalition National Conference this past August & it was exactly what I needed. I'm ready to take back my life. I will never give up. Even with setback after setback, I will keep trudging. Having y'all support means the world to me! God bless you all
All extra money goes towards trip to Tucson for the Amputee Coalition national conference 2018!
On Instagram: @katiemovingforward
www.facebook.com/katiemovingforward
In September 2009 my dad found me cold, blue, & not breathing in my room. He almost went to bed but something told him to check on me. He did CPR until the ambulance arrived. They had to shock me back to life immediately (and many more times throughout my stay). I went into cardiac arrest. All my organs were shutting down & I was in a vegetative state. I was in septic shock. Nobody working at the hospital spoke as if I would make it even through the night. Breathing tubes, life support, dialysis. Everyday was an "if". To my understanding, they gave me a medicine to help raise my blood pressure & it caused clots. Heparin induced thrombosis. My fingers and feet turned black & blistered. They didn't even bandage it thinking I was just going to die. Even if I didn't and I came out of The vegetative state they said I'd be brain dead, a 2 year old at best. 9 days in the doctor was in my room & said to the nurse "When are we going to amputate?" She responded, "The parents haven't signed off ". Not long after my Dad was in the room & I started to come to. Her rushed out & announced "I think she woke up!" I answered their questions (with head nods, I had a tube down my throat). I wasn't a vegetable. In fact, I didn't lose any cognitive function. The amputations were still an issue. They wanted to take all limbs all the way up to the torso. We called Kleinert & Kutz for a second opinion. We moved to University Hospital, where no one said "if". They amputated the legs twice, trying to save as much add they could. Then they amputated my fingers. I had blisters all over from that med so I was in the burn unit mostly. My surroundings were bleak but the nurses made it wonderful. I don't remember everything & some memories are hallucinations (from the trauma or the meds, idk). After my stay and healing time I started with prosthetics. I didn't get very far before I was in a car wreck, broke both arms & had to have MORE surgery. Then comes the bottomless pit of depression. I finally took control & started with the prosthetics beginning of last year. After making some cool progress pain came on & it came on strong. It shut me down completely. The pain is now controlled through meds & physical therapy. I attended the Amputee Coalition National Conference this past August & it was exactly what I needed. I'm ready to take back my life. I will never give up. Even with setback after setback, I will keep trudging. Having y'all support means the world to me! God bless you all
All extra money goes towards trip to Tucson for the Amputee Coalition national conference 2018!
On Instagram: @katiemovingforward
www.facebook.com/katiemovingforward
Organizer
Katie Elizabeth Flanigan
Organizer
Clarksville, IN
