What if....... (Medical Emergency)

What if one day you woke up and months had passed by. Unable to talk, move, or feel your own body. Not knowing where you are, looking at your loved ones, only able to drop a tear down your face. The rest of your life changed in an instant, hoping it'll all come back. My wife's name is Tammy Kirkland. This is her story and the opportunity at regaining a piece of herself.

For the past couple of years Tammy's been in a hospital bed trying to regain what she has lost. Today she can talk, move her limbs around, and eat in small amounts. None of which come easy but still an improvement. She is in the comforts of home with her family. Although, she is bound to the hospice bed always having to clean up fluids that leak out. The ongoing battle of appointments and visits for approvals has finally reached a point of hope. A transplant needed to stop the leakage and a step towards getting out of the bed. The events that led her here were a series of medical issues that eventually ended with her dying in the hospital with almost no hope of survival.

Tammy is a 39yr old Air Force veteran, married with 4 children. While in the Air Force she suffered back pain which resulted in multiple surgeries over many years of her life. During this time, one of the medications induced a seizure that included some head trauma after falling onto some rock landscaping. Eventually this ended her career with a medical discharge. Now, with back pain and seizures, she was limited but could still enjoy life outside the Air Force; or so she thought. It took over 2 years, struggling financially, to get full benefits from the VA. One day, she finds out that one of the surgeries was incomplete. The plate that was supposed to be holding the top, on the vertebrate, and the bottom was not connected at one end. Of course, another surgery had to be done and was successful. During this time she was on multiple medications that changed over time. Something was different, more pain, pain in areas that weren't there before.

One of the medications, anti-inflammatory, started to cause stomach pains. Eventually, leading to ulcers and some bleeding. Some healed over time; some began to worsen. Surgery was needed in order to rectify the problem, but the damage was already done. The last surgery required the removal of some intestine, a bypass, as explained to me. Because of this, the area that was connected together is not used to the amounts of acid or bodily functions that occur. This resulted in a deterioration, internal leakage, that caused her to go into septic shock. When viewed from the outside, it looked like another seizure that lasted for over an hour. During this time she was transported to the hospital to control the seizure or problem. She was only in this state at home for a few moments and the time it took to get an ambulance. That total time from event to control was, from my clock, over an hour. Hearing it was under control, letting that breath of relief out, was quickly lost only to be devastated by what came next. She was dying.

Everyday was a battle for survival. What seemed like days were only hours. The doctor says, "her organs are failing, and she has no brain activity". They had to remove almost all of her stomach due to the necrosis that had set in from the leakage. All of the vessels in her muscles have popped from the seizure. Her body was so swollen you couldn't recognize her. There was a moment where I swore I could feel her squeeze my hand but was told it was from something else causing her body to do that. Constantly talking and squeezing her hand everyday seemed to be all that could be done. Going home for the kids was only met with a phone call that her vitals were dropping. Every time I would rush back to the hospital and continue talking and squeezing. Watching the sun rise and thanking she made it another day. When the swelling had gone down a bit, her eyes would appear to be looking a bit. Like after a seizure the eyes wander around as the brain reboots. I believe it was around the second month, when I swear her eyes wandered to me and her hand squeezed. But, the brain scanner wasn't showing anything other than what it had been showing. So I go home for the last time to shower, eat, and sleep. Of course I'm met with another phone call. This time, she was responsive and showed signs of life.

After months of hospitalization and surgeries she was transferred to a long care facility until she was able to come home. After a while she was able to hold a pen and talk very softly. It took another few months, but she was finally able to come home. We had to put in a small hospital bed and equipment needed for her daily medical needs. She had holes in her body from the surgeries and removal of the air tube from her throat. As a result of the surgeries, her body leaks fluids from these holes in her stomach. Because her small intestine is all nothing short of gone, her body cannot absorb or digest the way it used to. A line had to be inserted, an I.V. like line, that runs nutrients 12 to 24 hours a day. Food and liquid that is consumed leaks out of the holes and flows straight through the bowels. Because of this, cleaning is needed constantly throughout the day. Her daily routine consists of light physical therapy, hooking up and unhooking of nutrient bags, and mostly cleaning her up. The amount of pain and issues with leakage make it impossible to go out away from home. There have been a few times she had to be hospitalized due to infections. During her last hospital stay, all the doctors came together and met her all at once. Because they removed so much there was no way that they could go back in to repair anything. They'd be doing more damage than good. But, there is a center that specializes in this and they can do a stomach transplant.

The stomach transplant will, in itself, remedy all of the issues with the leakage and uncontrollable bowel movements. This, with the fear of a transplant, is the light at the end of the tunnel. To be able to get out of bed and actually try to walk and leave the house, it seems so unreal. Physical therapy is limited due to the open wounds and leakage from the stomach. Her muscles cannot progress because of this limitation. The VA has covered most of this, for that we are grateful. There is quite a bit that we had to cover that insurance did not. Especially if the VA did not carry certain medication we would have to pay out of pocket. The referral was approved and sent over to the specialty center. Only issue is we would have to cover cost the of travel, rental, and stay. We would have to be able to do this at least twice. Once for the testing and again for the surgery. During the time Tammy was hospitalized, my daughter, Mina was in a car accident that totaled the only car we had. I was also out of work for awhile which caused our house to get 3 months behind on payments. Using everything in savings to get on track and home ready for Tammy's return, we are now unable to cover what's ahead. The money raised will go towards everything needed for her surgery.