Support for the Schingel Family

As many friends, co-workers and family of the Schingel's know- Jeff, Katie, Bailee and Maggie have triumphed over many difficult medical issues over the last 13 years.

Daughters Maggie and Bailee have overcome separate life-threatening medical challenges and now their mom, Katie is struggling with a serious challenge as well.

 

Katie has been disagnosed with Blastomycosis Pneumonia after two months of struggling to recover.  Starting the first week of April, Katie began feeling under the weather.

By April 11th, she had a acquired a cough that was getting consistently worse and she visited a doctor who treated her for a viral infection by prescribing an inhaler and offered

antibiotics if she wasn't feeling better in a few days.  Katie took and completed the antibiotics, but began to run a fever and the cough worsened.  April 22, she visited the doctor and

they prescribed steroids and nasal spray.  She saw slight improvement, but revisited the doctor on April 28 when her symptoms worsened again.  She was prescribed another inhaler.

On May 3rd, she was advised to visit the Emergency Room and was diagnosed with pneumonia.  She was prescribed antibiotics and a steroid.  On Friday May 5th, she felt worse again

and returned to the ER and was admitted to the hospital.

 

Once in the hospital, the doctors treated her pneumonia with broad spectrum antibiotic and they searched for the cause.  On May 7th, she was feeling better, but by May 10th her

breathing had become more labored.  The doctors moved Katie to the ICU and administered oxygen.  An infectious disease specialist was brought in to administer tests to determine

the cause of the pneumonia.  Without a clear cause, the ICU team continued antibiotics and added antifungal medicines.  Over 1 liter of fluid had to be drained from her lungs.

On Mother's Day, her daughters were able to visit her and she was in good spirits.  On Monday, May 15th, Katie's right lung was almost completely blocked and she had a bronchoscopy

to sample the growths in her right lung.  After the test, Katie's breathing became very labored and the ICU team placed her on a Bipap machine to help administer oxygen and return her

oxygen to a safe level.  Her breathing continued to worsen and May 18th, she was diagnosed with Blastomycosis Pneumonia and on May 20th, was transferred to Rush Hospital in Chicago for

treatment. 

 

At Rush, doctors administered stronger and stronger antifungal and breathing treatments to try to stabilize Katie's oxygen levels.  On May 22nd, Katie's oxygen levels were dangerously

low and she was intubated and put on a ventilator.  The staff were not sure that Katie would recover.  Her heart rate stopped once and dropped dangerously low twice during the day.

Over the next ten days, Katie was on the ventilator and each day made small steps toward recovery.  On May 31st, she was able to sit in a chair and have the oxygen removed for part of the

day.  

 

Despite missing her daughters, her work (she teaches third grade and missed the final month of school), Maggie's Confirmation and 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony- Katie is in better spirits.

She is working hard to recover and get back home to her family.

 

Additional Background:

 

The Schingels are a resilient family that has overcome many medical hurdles over the years.  Their daughter, Maggie was born prematurely 13 year ago.  She was born at 28 weeks and

weighed 1 lb. 10 oz. at birth.  She spent 3 month in the neonatal intensive care unit at Rush, then 9 months being treated with oxygen and therapy.  Maggie has achieved an amazing recovery,

only needing one more surgery to correct a hemangioma and cyst on her nose from birth.

 

Their daughter Bailee has also a scary medical diagnoses of, and subsequent remission from, AML Leukemia.  Bailee was diagnosed at 9 years old and underwent 3 rounds of strong chemotherapy and extended

hospital stays over 4 months.   Doctors were able to identify a bone marrow match and performed a transplant in November, 2009.  After 2 months of recovery, Bailee was declared in

remission and allowed to return home.  She was monitored closely for the next year to ensure that she stayed in remission and treat the effects of her treatments.  Bailee continues

to have yearly follow ups with an oncology, endocrine and cardiac team and they treat her for hormone imbalances caused by the chemotherapy.  Bailee has been in remission and cancer

free for 8 years now.

 

The Schingels are grateful for the support and prayers of all of their friends and family over the years.  Despite their many struggles, they are an amazing family that continues to fight in the face of many challenges.

Now, their friends would like to offer an opportunity to help contribute to the massive medical bills and additional financial pressures that arise when a family  has suffered and overcome so much. 

If you are capable of making a donation, please do so here and help support this amazing family that deserves an opportunity to recover and be healthy together.