Krizia Lee Road to Recovery

Krizia is a bright young lady, only 19 years old, who suffered what seems to be a cardiac arrest on the morning of December 30, 2021. Krizia is a loving daughter and sister who is loved by many. She lost her daddy 6 months ago, on June 20, 2021. The entire family is distraught with the occurrence of this very unexpected tragedy.

Krizia was transferred into the ICU, in the days that followed, we found out that Krizia had received CPR from a passing motorist who is a bus driver in one of our local school districts. She was joined in the effort by another young lady who was driving by and is a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit that Krizia was placed in. Krizia was surrounded by angels.

 

We were advised not to transfer her to a different hospital due to the severe swelling of the brain and unstable condition. We immediately found out that the hospital did not have an in-house neurologist, Krizia was only being seen by a cardiologist and a pulmonologist in person. The neurologist consulted her via telemed. There was no change in the days that followed. She became stable but the critical care doctor did not recommend us to move her anywhere. On Tuesday, we transferred Krizia to DHR and were welcomed by a team of doctors in the ICU where she was immediately connected to her medications and ventilator. Instantly, tests on her heart, head, and body were made. The next morning her nurse Roland advised me that she was following commands and was doing things that in the previous medical chart stated she wouldn't do. I saw her open her beautiful eyes slightly and blink away those gorgeous lashes. Tests continued to be done throughout the week. We met her Neurologist, Dr. Estofan who gave us the news of the extensive damage that her brain has due to anoxic brain injury. He told us that this was a case of MYOCARDITIS and not a cardiac arrest. Dr. Estofan showed us the images of the MRI and explained the severeness of the situation. He also explained that Krizia is NOT brain dead, she responds to pain mostly in her right extremities and also talked to us about how the damage is not progressive, it cannot get worse (unless she suffers another cardiac arrest). We learned a little about neuroplasticity and how the brain may repair SOME of the damaged areas. We asked how much and his response was "ONLY GOD KNOWS THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION". We could not have asked for a better response. God wants Krizia to live, otherwise, she wouldn't be here, she wouldn't have survived what looks to be 30 minutes without oxygen. He explained to us that Krizia will be in a vegetative state, but that with intense therapy, she can regain some of her brain function.

 

This is something very new to our family as we have never had to care for a child or person with a disability of this magnitude. We are now researching the possibility of taking her to an in-house rehabilitation facility. This is a very rare case for a very healthy 19-year-old and we are at a loss for words. I am looking to get the attention of neurologists, neuroscience specialists, university researchers, or anyone who can help with Krizia's brain injury. Krizia is here with us today because she was surrounded by angels and God's will has been to have her alive with us until today. This is why I am going to continue looking and searching for the best medical attention and aftercare. We humbly ask for your help by sharing this story with others. I do not know the REASON Krizia suffered from myocarditis, but I do know this can bring awareness to parents of teens and young adults. Our family will have this active funding account to help with current medical expenses and her upcoming rehabilitation. We ask that you continue to keep her in your prayers. God is working miracles on my child and will continue to do so.