Tayla's Story... Miracle Survivor

I watched in horror as Tayla's face flashed right in front of me – it was swollen to the size of a soccer ball, her hair was a mass of tangles, her eyes were closed - I was told to kiss her good bye as she was unlikely going to make it to the hospital -   Klebsiella pneumoniae was discovered in Tayla's wounds one of the world’s worst flesh eating pathogens. 

This all started with the simplest thing - Influenza A in August 2017.  What followed for Tayla and the Egan family was a battle with the deadly, but little known Sepsis disease.

Tayla contracted pneumonia and then subsequently and very quickly the brutal and life-threatening Sepsis disease. She had total organ failure and was immediately placed on Life Support where she remained for two weeks. Open heart surgery and a series of operations followed over the next nine weeks in ICU.

Tayla remained incubated, and on kidney dialysis as she had total kidney failure and respiratory failure with her left lung having collapsed. Tayla also quickly developed dry gangrene in her feet, legs and fingers. While she was in an induced coma she sustained multiple pressure wounds that eventually became infected with another hospital bacteria, and as a result lost all her right gluteal muscle.

For nine long weeks her medical team attended around the clock doing all humanly possible to battle this flu virus’s severe assault of a young body.


The medical staff that had come to love this plucky brave teenager sorrowfully had to inform the parents IT'S TIME TO LET HER GO for even if she were to live on life support this bug would eat her flesh quicker than surgery could remove affected areas. We were not going to let that happen. Tayla is a pure MIRACLE and a complete medical mystery, not only in Australia but worldwide.

 
Paul and myself and Tayla's three brothers, Ryley, Harry and Oliver watched Tayla survive.  She lost her right bottom cheek and gluteus muscle,  half her left leg was amputated in January 2018, and just recently in September 2019 her right foot was also amputated.  Although 2018 saw more operations and the first half of the year in hospital, Tayla started a rigorous rehab programme that saw her begin to learn to eat again, gain weight, learn to sit, stand and then walk, to eventually intermittently returning to school at the end of the year and celebrate her 16th birthday.

While the rehab programme is ongoing and for every step forward there is a step backwards, access to the correct medical procedures, navigating the health funds (that don't cover a child who is really sick, amputations, surgery, x-rays, the list is endless).  If Tayla had a heart attack, stroke, car accident or cancer they would cover it BUT sepsis is not considered fatal !!!!!!!!! If we just stopped at what the medical field and health funds cover than we would be visiting a grave site and not looking at a beautiful girl  who has a spirit and infectious smile that shines through every day and she is very grateful for each of those days.

Paul and I are very real in understanding what our beautiful young daughter needs to just live and hopefully one day live independently, a full life, with thriving relationships. While NDIS provides support, Tayla's rehabilitation is so immense that even we are overwhelmed by the future and how to provide all Tayla needs. That is why we are reaching out.

The Egan family, while respecting beliefs and values of some want to encourage everyone to think of getting the flu vaccination and raise awareness of an unknown and very brutal disease – Sepsis.