Katie Kearney Family Fund

Kaitlin "Katie" Kearney was in an accident late Monday night, May 16, 2022. She suffered a head injury and had to be med flighted to a hospital near Tampa, FL. Her injuries are extremely serious and she has been in ICU since Monday.

 

She's been diagnosed with a skull fracture and a traumatic brain injury (TBI). She was intubated on the scene and on a ventilator from the time she was admitted. She actually pulled out her own vent tube and was breathing on her own as of Tuesday. She would open her eyes and respond somewhat to stimuli, but she wasn't making the progress they wanted to see. After reviewing the multiple CT scans, EEG, and MRI, her neurosurgeon decided to perform a craniotomy on Thursday 5/20. The damage was more extensive than even the scans showed. She had multiple fractures, including a floating piece of skull that bruised and cut into her brain. She had an epidural hematoma (a blood clot between the skull and the lining of the brain) and a subdural hematoma (a blood clot between the lining of the brain and the brain itself). Her brain was badly concussed and there was blood just hanging out in there. The surgeon removed both hematomas, cleaned out all the blood, repaired blood vessels, and repaired the fracture. By removing all of the stuff that shouldn't be there, it relieved the pressure from her brain that may have been keeping her from waking up and responding better. He said she did "beautifully" and he came out to tell us she was giving hell to the staff in post-op. Typical Katie!

 

As of today, Friday, May 20th, she is more responsive, answering questions, following commands, sipping liquids, and seeming more alert. She is supposed to start receiving more normal stimuli - lights on, TV on, conversation, etc - to start to get her into the rhythm of the day. Awake during the day, asleep at night. She will also have physical therapy today.

 

She's likely to be in ICU for another two days or so. After that, she could be in the hospital for up to another week, and she may need to spend some time in a rehab facility from there. There are still a lot of unknowns. Her family is trying to prepare for all possibilities.

 

Katie's family lives in Massachusetts, so her mom flew down on Tuesday and her dad drove their car, arriving on Wednesday. They are staying in a hotel near the hospital and taking turns being with Katie, so someone is always with her. With them both being out of work, the costs of being here, the costs to get her home, and the unknowns of the future, they can use our help and support. Katie is on her way to a full recovery but it's a long road and we still don't know just how long. So many of you have asked "What can I do? How can I help?" For now, this is how.

 

The fund will be managed by Lisa Gallo Paterson. Many of you know her already, and for those who don't, Lisa and Kristen have been friends and chosen family for 40 years. Kristen has asked her to manage the fund on their behalf, and she will make sure they get everything they need!

 

With love,

The Kearney Family

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Friday, May 21st - 10:45pm

Today was a good good day!!!  Katie is rapidly improving post-surgery.  She was up walking with assistance - did full laps around the unit floor!  We asked her lots of questions to test her memory and her recall seems perfectly fine with the exception of the accident.  She doesn't remember what happened but she knows she is in the hospital and she's injured.   She was eating and drinking - just tiny bites and little sips, but we'll take it.   She was talking, joking, making funny faces (on purpose!), and just being Katie.  

There's still a long way to go, but the future looks bright!  Thank you all for your love and support!

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Saturday, May 22nd - 11:30am

OMG you guys!!!  #katiesarmy is coming through BIG time!  We sat down last night and ran the numbers.  After applying for Paid Family & Medical Leave, Kristen and Walter will still need about $15K to make up the difference in income for the next three months.  You've all covered that already which is AMAZING.  Now we need to cover the additional expenses they will have to care for Katie and her needs.

We got this!  Go go go #katiesarmy!!!