Nakita’s Journey to Recovery

"...go where the sun goes my sweet darling beautiful go where it's always bright...”
-Nakita Herne (circa 2012)

My lovely sister, Nakita Herne, wrote and sang these words to help eliminate the pain and hurt that had become too much for me to cope. These words and her immense abundance of love kept me shining, I hope to be able to do the same for her.

On November 8th,  my sister, fell into a medically induced coma, and still remains in that state more than a  week later.

Nakita has always battled  with asthma. This attack exceeded any we had seen before and quickly became critical. She moved from the local ER to the local ICU.  She didn't stay put for more than 48 hours before having to take a life flight to Maine Medical.

Still, at Maine Med, she remains comatose. They are using multiple sedatives, paralytics, steroids, antibiotics, and a bunch of other things I can't even comprehend. Unfazeded by multiple tries of weening her off the intense sedatives and paralytics, her lungs continue to be dependent on such drugs for survival.

Nakita is not declining, nor is she moving forward with easily recognizable strides. The doctors and nurses repeat, "one day at a time,". We are hoping for a safe recovery, and eager for the day she will be able to open her eyes and be present, but until then... we wait.

My big sister has always been a person of comfort, for me, and anyone that has admired her glow. Despite Nakita's life long struggles, she has this infinite light in her.  It's not like the light that comes from a firework; a huge explosion that demands your attention. Her light is comparable to that of a falling star; humble and trying with all of its speed to not be seen. People can be in the right place at the right time, and still miss a falling star, as a consequence of even just one blink of an eye. The star is falling, and still exhibits it's beauty, and it does this for no other comfort, except for that comfort of others. I like to believe Nakita is like that, shining against all odds, and when people notice her light, it has the power to inspire. She has the capability to inspire immensely and endlessly. Please help to ensure her gift of illumination.

The money raised here will be given to her when she wakes up. She has no health insurance, but our hope is that we can find coverage when she wakes. It has been over a week that she has not been making income or able to work, obviously. This fund is for her to be able to wake up, and in the beginning not have to worry about rent or bills. This will give her a financial cushion, that will allow  her the comfort of an  uninterrupted road of recovery, which the doctors explain will be a long and heavy road.


Nakita fostered this bird a couple of summers back. In this video you can feel and see her kind gentle soul! ✨ 



THIS IS THE DESCRIPTION OF HER MEDICAL STATE:

(I WILL UPDATE THIS AS NEW INFORMATION COMES IN)


Nakita was working that Thursday and was having difficulty breathing. Not something uncommon for her, due to her lifelong struggle with asthma. Our uncle dropped off an inhaler around 7pm, which seemed to lessen the intensity of her struggle for air. She finished out her shift because that's who she is: a strong and determined girl, who refuses to take defeat easily. Inevitably her boyfriend had to bring her to York Hospital, where she was seen in the emergency room. After multiple failed nebulizer and CPAP treatments she was transferred to the on sight Intensive Care Unit. There, in the ICU, she required sedation for her intubation.

Friday came quickly, and she remained in the induced coma, and technically stable. With all hopes that she would not be dependant on the paralytics or sedatives. Saturday came and went with no change. The nurse said, "In the ICU you have to take it day by day. She is stable, and we will access things again tomorrow.".

Early Sunday morning, around two AM, Nakita life flight teams flew her from York Hospital to Maine Medical in Portland Maine. They say, her trachea got so swollen that she was unable to release air from her lungs, even with the venteltor. Essentially her throat was swollen shut.

During the helicopter ride paralytic medicine was used, which temporarily paralyzes. This allowed her muscles from the neck down to relax so that air would be able to escape her lungs.

Despite continues tries to ween her off of the paralytic medicine and sedatives, she remains on the machines and drugs to breath and stay alive.

November 16th: still comotose and reliant on paralytic medicine.