Michele's Recovery and Rehabilitation
Donation protected
Two weeks ago, my mother suffered two cardiac arrests. She spent 30 minutes without a beating heart, and her organs spent 30 minutes without oxygen. The lack of oxygen resulted in liver failure, kidney failure, lung damage, and an anoxic brain injury. Against all odds, she survived and is continuing to fight. The road ahead is complex and challenging and we need all of the support we can get.
What Happened?
On June 7th, 2020 my mother, Michele Lemaitre-Krause, suffered from a cardiac arrest, where her heart stopped pumping for about 10 minutes. Luckily, she was resuscitated with CPR; however, minutes later she coded again, suffering a second cardiac arrest, this time lasting for about 20 minutes. Miraculously, the ER staff was able to revive her a second time.
Michele's heart stopped for about 30 minutes, during which time her brain, kidneys, and liver, were deprived of oxygen, ultimately leading to a critical state of hypotension, liver failure, kidney failure, sepsis, a pulmonary embolism, and a heart attack. When I arrived at the hospital, Michele was in critical condition and on maximum life support, including ventilation and IV medication. We discussed Michele's "wishes" with the team, for the likely event that she should endure another cardiac arrest.
And against all odds, Michele survived the night. She was sedated and intubated for another 8 days while the ICU team fought to stabilize and rescue her. This period was very tough, as we were unsure whether or not the atomic-bomb-sized shock to Michele's body would be recoverable. Each day however, the ICU team would stress to us how amazed they were at Michele's determined recovery.
It is now two-weeks since the accident, and my mother is alive, awake, cognizant, and partially mobile.
I took this photo today, as she fought with severe shakes and neuropathy to spoon a thick-liquid diet into her mouth. She requested nachos but was denied.
What Now?
Though my mother pried back her life back from the clutches of death, her body has paid a massive toll. She now requires dialysis 3 days a week while we wait to see if her kidneys will restart or if they will fail totally. In addition, she needs extensive physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy, to recover from the time she spent immobile and on a ventilator. It is commonly suggested that a patient requires between 2 and 7 days of rehab for every day spent on a ventilator. For Michele, this could mean between 16 and 56 days of nonstop rehabilitation, just regain the ability to walk, drive, and minimally function in daily life. After rehab, she will require dialysis, home health, and help taking care of her house.
Michele is a fighter!
Though she has a long distance to go, Michele is massively enthusiastic about rehabbing and reclaiming her life. In her bed now, she is never idle. If she is not with a therapist, she is exercising her lungs, practicing her dexterity, strengthening her hands, and trying to sit up on her own. Despite this terrible accident, she laughs and jokes with the nurses, showing her characteristic dry sense of humor.
Why are we raising funds?
Michele is very lucky to be alive, but the path forward will be challenging. To begin with, her two sons moved back home to take care of her and the house. This has presented our family with a hardship, as we have reduced our work hours dramatically to handle work at the house. Additionally, my mother will be unable to work and earn an income for quite some time. Eventually, we would like to hire additional help around the house, so that I (KJ) can leave to attend my PhD program at Vanderbilt and my brother, Eric, can return to work and school at CSU Chico. In addition, Michele has accumulated a sizable hospital bill, with a significant out-of-pocket portion, and pays a very high monthly premium for her insurance, which she will need for a long time to come. Further, as Michele progresses there will likely be some medical expenses which insurance will not cover, eg. medical transport to the dialysis clinic three days a week.
With your help, we can lessen the financial burden on my mother, Michele, allowing her to focus 100% on healing and spending quality time with the ones she loves.
What Happened?
On June 7th, 2020 my mother, Michele Lemaitre-Krause, suffered from a cardiac arrest, where her heart stopped pumping for about 10 minutes. Luckily, she was resuscitated with CPR; however, minutes later she coded again, suffering a second cardiac arrest, this time lasting for about 20 minutes. Miraculously, the ER staff was able to revive her a second time.
Michele's heart stopped for about 30 minutes, during which time her brain, kidneys, and liver, were deprived of oxygen, ultimately leading to a critical state of hypotension, liver failure, kidney failure, sepsis, a pulmonary embolism, and a heart attack. When I arrived at the hospital, Michele was in critical condition and on maximum life support, including ventilation and IV medication. We discussed Michele's "wishes" with the team, for the likely event that she should endure another cardiac arrest.
And against all odds, Michele survived the night. She was sedated and intubated for another 8 days while the ICU team fought to stabilize and rescue her. This period was very tough, as we were unsure whether or not the atomic-bomb-sized shock to Michele's body would be recoverable. Each day however, the ICU team would stress to us how amazed they were at Michele's determined recovery.
It is now two-weeks since the accident, and my mother is alive, awake, cognizant, and partially mobile.
I took this photo today, as she fought with severe shakes and neuropathy to spoon a thick-liquid diet into her mouth. She requested nachos but was denied.
What Now?
Though my mother pried back her life back from the clutches of death, her body has paid a massive toll. She now requires dialysis 3 days a week while we wait to see if her kidneys will restart or if they will fail totally. In addition, she needs extensive physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy, to recover from the time she spent immobile and on a ventilator. It is commonly suggested that a patient requires between 2 and 7 days of rehab for every day spent on a ventilator. For Michele, this could mean between 16 and 56 days of nonstop rehabilitation, just regain the ability to walk, drive, and minimally function in daily life. After rehab, she will require dialysis, home health, and help taking care of her house.
Michele is a fighter!
Though she has a long distance to go, Michele is massively enthusiastic about rehabbing and reclaiming her life. In her bed now, she is never idle. If she is not with a therapist, she is exercising her lungs, practicing her dexterity, strengthening her hands, and trying to sit up on her own. Despite this terrible accident, she laughs and jokes with the nurses, showing her characteristic dry sense of humor.
Why are we raising funds?
Michele is very lucky to be alive, but the path forward will be challenging. To begin with, her two sons moved back home to take care of her and the house. This has presented our family with a hardship, as we have reduced our work hours dramatically to handle work at the house. Additionally, my mother will be unable to work and earn an income for quite some time. Eventually, we would like to hire additional help around the house, so that I (KJ) can leave to attend my PhD program at Vanderbilt and my brother, Eric, can return to work and school at CSU Chico. In addition, Michele has accumulated a sizable hospital bill, with a significant out-of-pocket portion, and pays a very high monthly premium for her insurance, which she will need for a long time to come. Further, as Michele progresses there will likely be some medical expenses which insurance will not cover, eg. medical transport to the dialysis clinic three days a week.
With your help, we can lessen the financial burden on my mother, Michele, allowing her to focus 100% on healing and spending quality time with the ones she loves.
Organiser and beneficiary
KJ Krause
Organiser
Redding, CA
Michele Lemaitre Krause
Beneficiary