- j
- E
- L
Kaylah’s Story
Everyone who knows Kaylah will tell you what a bubbly, happy, fun and somewhat cheeky person she is. Kaylah has been an elite athlete for most of her life competing as a gymnast in trampolining. These days she is mother to three amazing boys, Riley 8, Bailey 7 and Darcy 4, and wife to Adam. Kaylah also runs the uptown laundry from their rented premises on Pacific St. Newcastle.
Kaylah like most busy mums has a was very full life and was happily managing being a mum, a wife and a business women until quite suddenly things started to go downhill. 3 years ago Kaylah started getting pain in her back and glutes. She thought his was the result of doing too much exercise and went to the physio. Little did she realize that something darker was happening. She continued physio for quite some time with little improvement and soon she was finding the pain increasingly difficult to deal with and her legs were becoming sluggish and walking was difficult. The physio became very concerned and advised Kaylah to seek medical advise. Not being able to walk properly, Kaylah finally conceded that maybe that was a good idea. The GP sent her for a vascular scan that resulted in her being rushed to hospital. After numerous blood tests and scans Kaylah was told that a vein in her groin had collapsed and a major clot had formed around it. She was immediately placed on blood thinners and total bed rest and monitored closely as this was a life-threatening situation. An operation was booked for 2 days time to remove the remaining clot and to insert a 30cm stent into her iliac vein. Luckily the operation went well and after another week in hospital Kaylah went home with a daily dose of blood thinners and some lovely compression stockings to wear for the next 9 months.
Things started to return to normal and Kaylah felt relieved that she had dodged a bullet. In 2018 she was taken off the thinners as things looked good and Kaylah went back to her hectic but semi normal life.
Early 2019 Kaylah started to get some chest pain, being stoic she tried to ignore it but with her history she decided to get it checked out. It was the result of clots in her lungs. She was quickly put back on blood thinners and eventually the clots resolved but the pain was still there. Kaylah was getting confused and anxious, thing weren’t great at home, she and Adam separated, she was trying to be a good mother and run the business but she was feeling lost and alone.
To compound matters a check up found that her stent had collapsed and a new clot had formed and another surgery was required to fix it. Kaylah was then informed that she would need to be on blood thinners for the rest of her life.
Kaylah is 34.
In mid 2019 Kaylah and Adam reconnect and try to move forward in a positive way. Unfortunately the chest pain is ongoing and Kaylah is starting to think she is going crazy. By October things are getting worse, dizzy spells, difficulty breathing, no energy and feeling like she is having a heart attack all the time. She is undergoing test after test and finally the doctors discover a massive clot in her lung, which has also left her with pulmonary hypertension. The medical team put her on a higher the dose of thinners, resulting in Adam having to give Kaylah an injection 3 times a day, however Kaylah is still not responding.
After a weekend away in the Blue Mountains, Kaylah is terribly ill and collapses on their way home. She is again rushed to hospital. Kaylah’s body is rejecting the blood thinners and they cannot get her blood stable, the clot in her lung continues to grow and nothing appears to be working. Four days before Christmas Kaylah is released on an experimental drug to try and stabalise her. She is with her family but the problem is not resolved and her constant pain is her daily companion.
Kaylah has difficulty doing daily jobs, she has had to reduce her workload only doing minimal orders. The bills are mounting and her health is deteriorating.
So what is in store………………
After extensive consultation with teams of specialists, the conclusion is that Kaylah will need an open pulmonary thromboembolectomy. This is a major operation where they crack open your chest and put the heart on bypass then cut open the blood vessels to remove the clot in her lung. This is a dangerous and life threatening operation. If successful Kaylah will be placed in a coma for 2-3 days then in hospital for 3 weeks and recovering for 6-9months. She will also need heart catherisation surgery before to gauge her body’s ability to withstand the surgery, and they also need to try and get her blood stable for this to happen.
Without surgery Kaylah’s future look bleak. If she survives the surgery she has a huge recovery on her hands and no reassurance this won’t happen again.
Kaylah is part of our surf club family. We have watched her kids grow up before our eyes and as an “East Ender” is well known around the top of town. Her family life and business has been decimated by her illness and although she would never admit it they need help to survive. In the coming months Adam will need to take leave to look after her, the business will not be able to run and the rent still needs to be paid. Oh and medical bills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Newcastle surf Club will be holding a benefit night on Friday 6th March 20 to raise money to help Kaylah and her family get through the next few months.
Help us help Kaylah. If you can get to the benefit night, please come along and have a few drinks so we can help them at this very scary time of their lives. If not any small donation here goes along way.
Everyone who knows Kaylah will tell you what a bubbly, happy, fun and somewhat cheeky person she is. Kaylah has been an elite athlete for most of her life competing as a gymnast in trampolining. These days she is mother to three amazing boys, Riley 8, Bailey 7 and Darcy 4, and wife to Adam. Kaylah also runs the uptown laundry from their rented premises on Pacific St. Newcastle.
Kaylah like most busy mums has a was very full life and was happily managing being a mum, a wife and a business women until quite suddenly things started to go downhill. 3 years ago Kaylah started getting pain in her back and glutes. She thought his was the result of doing too much exercise and went to the physio. Little did she realize that something darker was happening. She continued physio for quite some time with little improvement and soon she was finding the pain increasingly difficult to deal with and her legs were becoming sluggish and walking was difficult. The physio became very concerned and advised Kaylah to seek medical advise. Not being able to walk properly, Kaylah finally conceded that maybe that was a good idea. The GP sent her for a vascular scan that resulted in her being rushed to hospital. After numerous blood tests and scans Kaylah was told that a vein in her groin had collapsed and a major clot had formed around it. She was immediately placed on blood thinners and total bed rest and monitored closely as this was a life-threatening situation. An operation was booked for 2 days time to remove the remaining clot and to insert a 30cm stent into her iliac vein. Luckily the operation went well and after another week in hospital Kaylah went home with a daily dose of blood thinners and some lovely compression stockings to wear for the next 9 months.
Things started to return to normal and Kaylah felt relieved that she had dodged a bullet. In 2018 she was taken off the thinners as things looked good and Kaylah went back to her hectic but semi normal life.
Early 2019 Kaylah started to get some chest pain, being stoic she tried to ignore it but with her history she decided to get it checked out. It was the result of clots in her lungs. She was quickly put back on blood thinners and eventually the clots resolved but the pain was still there. Kaylah was getting confused and anxious, thing weren’t great at home, she and Adam separated, she was trying to be a good mother and run the business but she was feeling lost and alone.
To compound matters a check up found that her stent had collapsed and a new clot had formed and another surgery was required to fix it. Kaylah was then informed that she would need to be on blood thinners for the rest of her life.
Kaylah is 34.
In mid 2019 Kaylah and Adam reconnect and try to move forward in a positive way. Unfortunately the chest pain is ongoing and Kaylah is starting to think she is going crazy. By October things are getting worse, dizzy spells, difficulty breathing, no energy and feeling like she is having a heart attack all the time. She is undergoing test after test and finally the doctors discover a massive clot in her lung, which has also left her with pulmonary hypertension. The medical team put her on a higher the dose of thinners, resulting in Adam having to give Kaylah an injection 3 times a day, however Kaylah is still not responding.
After a weekend away in the Blue Mountains, Kaylah is terribly ill and collapses on their way home. She is again rushed to hospital. Kaylah’s body is rejecting the blood thinners and they cannot get her blood stable, the clot in her lung continues to grow and nothing appears to be working. Four days before Christmas Kaylah is released on an experimental drug to try and stabalise her. She is with her family but the problem is not resolved and her constant pain is her daily companion.
Kaylah has difficulty doing daily jobs, she has had to reduce her workload only doing minimal orders. The bills are mounting and her health is deteriorating.
So what is in store………………
After extensive consultation with teams of specialists, the conclusion is that Kaylah will need an open pulmonary thromboembolectomy. This is a major operation where they crack open your chest and put the heart on bypass then cut open the blood vessels to remove the clot in her lung. This is a dangerous and life threatening operation. If successful Kaylah will be placed in a coma for 2-3 days then in hospital for 3 weeks and recovering for 6-9months. She will also need heart catherisation surgery before to gauge her body’s ability to withstand the surgery, and they also need to try and get her blood stable for this to happen.
Without surgery Kaylah’s future look bleak. If she survives the surgery she has a huge recovery on her hands and no reassurance this won’t happen again.
Kaylah is part of our surf club family. We have watched her kids grow up before our eyes and as an “East Ender” is well known around the top of town. Her family life and business has been decimated by her illness and although she would never admit it they need help to survive. In the coming months Adam will need to take leave to look after her, the business will not be able to run and the rent still needs to be paid. Oh and medical bills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Newcastle surf Club will be holding a benefit night on Friday 6th March 20 to raise money to help Kaylah and her family get through the next few months.
Help us help Kaylah. If you can get to the benefit night, please come along and have a few drinks so we can help them at this very scary time of their lives. If not any small donation here goes along way.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kaylah anne Metcalf
Beneficiary