Katelyn's Recovery

On Sunday, August 11th, 2019, Katelyn and her boyfriend, Alvi were out with some friends on Lake St. Clair. At the end of the day, Kate and Alvi decided to jump in the water before their trip home. Kate and Alvi went to the front of the boat and both dove in the water. When Alvi came to the surface, he found Kate floating face down in the water. It is believed that her head hit the bottom as a result of the dive. Alvi went to her rescue and was able to get her on to her back so she could breathe. Kate immediately told Alvi something was wrong, and that she could not move her legs and did not have feeling in her arms. With the help of their friends, Alvi was able to get Kate out of the water and back into the boat. They called 911 from the boat and were met by medical personal once they arrived at the dock. From there, Kate was transported to McLaren Macomb Hospital where she was diagnosed with a dislocated C6 vertebrae with extensive damage between the C5 and C7 vertebras. Kate underwent emergency surgery where the neurosurgeon was able to repair the damage by realigning her vertebrae and installing a brace to hold the repair in place. Although the surgery was a success, the damage from the injury left Kate without movement from her torso down as well as parts of her arms and hands. The injury location has also left her without the ability to swallow, meaning she has not been able to have any water or solid food since the injury. Currently, she is on a feeding tube which is providing her nutrients. Kate’s surgeon advised these types of injuries are devastating and extremely unpredictable as far as recovery estimates. The baseline for recovery for Kate’s type of injury is a minimum of 6 to 12 months. The surgeon said that no two injuries heal alike and results can vary from person to person. He did say that immediate physical therapy will be crucial to Katelyn’s recovery success. After nine days in the ICU and several more in a surgical observation room, Kate is finally ready to begin the next chapter in her recovery process. She will begin her therapy on Monday, August 26th at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) in Detroit. This facility is recognized as one of the very best in the country for spinal injuries. We are confident that once Katelyn completes her rehabilitation, she will be fully recovered. Katelyn’s support team is second to none and will be by her side every step of the way! With all that said, there will be financial responsibilities that must be met during Kate’s healing process. Between the cost of the rehabilitation, the medical bills, and the everyday bills, Kate will need all the extra help she can get during this difficult time. Additionally, Kate will need the extra support for her four-year-old son, Jaxon. We understand asking others for financial help is difficult and unfortunately, no one in the family has won the lottery recently. So on behalf of Katelyn and her entire family, we are humbly asking for any donation to the Katelyn Recovery Fund to help assist and sustain her as she continues her fight to recover from this devastating injury. The funds accumulated will go directly towards her medical bills, personal bills as well as help support Jax. The Hanson Family truly appreciates your consideration in donating to this cause to help Katelyn as she begins her journey to a full recovery. As always, we are #KateStrong!