The Choltko Family- Brianna

#TeamBri and the family are doing better but still have a very long road of recovery. They will have tons of physical,  mental and financial challenges and could use any help you can offer. 

Regardless of donating or not, please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. 

We can not thank each of you enough for all your love, support and throughout this. 


Monday July 29th, the Choltko family was hit with tragedy.

Lance Choltko ( husband) was deployed to Kuwait, while his wife, our daughter Brianna was at home with their 6 month old son Parker. Bri had some minor health issues the previous week, common flu and a UTI. After her two medical visits the prior week on Monday the 29th, Bri was hit with a serious viral infection. The infection has still to be fully determined , however we know it caused her to become unresponsive and sent her into cardiac arrest. The time frame she was unconscious has yet to be determined but we do know that Parker, though a little emotional and wet, was safe in his crib. We thank God for the neighbors Andrew and Amy for checking on Bri and Parker per Lance's request, otherwise, there would be no need to compose this communication.

Andrew and Amy worked as a team to help facilitate Bri's medical needs and help with Parker and their two dobermans, talk about amazing people. We truly owe Bri and Parker's lives to these two..

Bri was rushed to a nearby free standing emergency department, where she was finally resuscitated and hooked up to a ventilator. From there transferred to St. Joseph's in Tucson, were they put in place a heart catheter. For 96 hours she remained on full life support. Lance was drastically rushing to get back home from Kuwait and was blessed to reach his wife later in the day that Wednesday.

Fast forward- after days of tears and uncertainty.

Day 4, heart support machine ( Impella) was removed, day 5 the ventilator was removed. The goal was to force her body to do the work on it's own. The medical team was prepared to put all support back in her as needed, if she couldn't handle the change. She was still on oxygen assist along with several other medications. The heart and other organs that were thought at first to be the main concerns were performing better but will take time to recover fully. Unfortunately, the focus had shifted to her brain. The message we were given was our little girl has had severe brain damage in a few areas. The extent is not fully clear, nor will it be for the next 2-3 months, yup....2-3 months. The overall diagnosis was a viral infection of the heart and lead to anoxic brain injury. The news delivered to the family today was 2 fold. 1) she won't get worse 2) she may get better, only rehab and time will tell.

She was scheduled for her second MRI on Monday the 5th, the news we received was devastating. MRI at 6:30 am, doctors ready to review it with us @ 10:00 am rounds. The consciences was truly that she may be in the state of nonresponsive for good. They had started to discuss discharge!

All this time, we had prayers coming from all over the country. Family, friends, friends of family and friends and on and on. We all kept faith while preparing ourselves for the worst. This Monday, we had a cross that we hung in Bri's room, blessed with holy water and had the Chaplin come pray with us over Bri. I truly feel this tied all thoughts and prayers together and transferred them into Bri.

The next afternoon @ 1:00pm , she was scheduled for a tube feed port that would be surgically placed into her stomach. As a family we continued to feel one blow of defeat after another, however, thoughts and prayers continued to keep us afloat. Approximately 11:50am on Monday the 5th, her Mother Jen and I were walking back up to her room from taking a break..upon our reentry the ICU Nurse was in the room holding Bri's hand, looked up at us in SHOCK and said, " she's up, she's talking" !! Jen and I lost our you know what! We jumped into the room with Bri and then onto the phone with Lance and Grandpa who were out getting haircuts. They made it to the hospital in about 2 minutes flat. It's still a blur but she was talking, interacting, knew her maiden name and date of birth. This was nothing short of a miracle. The hospital staff was celebrating, looking at each other in disbelief and saying " we've heard of cases like this, but have never witnessed one". Still today, talking to the Neurologist, Cardiologist, Intensive Care Physicians, Nurses and other Hospital Staff, they are all in disbelief, never seeing anything like this during there career.

Bri is starting a long road of recovery. She will have to medicate her heart for some time and has several months if not years for brain recovery. We are not sure we will get her back 100% the way she was but to us, she's already 100%. This little girl took on the impossible and beat the odds. She had amazing medical care, she has been fighting hard all along and most importantly, she had Christ on her side. I know some may feel that's not the case, but one of the first things she said upon waking up was " my Papa Brown was here with me the entire time", well, he passed several years ago, so try to explain that to me.

Bri has short and long term memory still severely impacted. She has regained limited motor functions but will need major rehab to improve. She's yet to sit, stand or walk on her own but she will in time, she's eating and progressing her diets quickly, those in my field of work, know that's key to healing. She's conversing with us, alot, however is struggling with short and long term as well as fact versus fiction. Her brain is working on rewiring itself and during this process it's as shes in buffering mode. But!! She's making stride in her recovery that are astonishing health care providers just as her 1st episode had. She's a STRONG little girl with much to fight for.

She has been moved out of ICU and to a Neurological unit. Her next step will be a step down unit or if ready an inpatient rehab facility. We've been told she will need care minimally for the next year 24/7.

All these circumstances drop a huge burden on the family. Bri will not be able to work for some time, take care of Parker nor herself. Lance will have duties and responsibilities for care beyond his means. Family will travel to and from Arizona to help support, all the while life must go on

Positives- prayer works! It wasn't her time and she was able to come back to us. In time, Bri will get better to what degree is still to be determined. This situation has brought our families even closer together and her recovery has shown a hospital staff that anything is possible, that's why you treat the patient not a picture (her most recent doc shared this with us after her 2nd MRI)

Negatives- This situation has impacted this young family and their families. This will pose a physical, mental and financial burden in this family.

Many of you have asked how you can help. We will get a GO Fund me page in place for them to help with the financial aspect. If you donate, it will be greatly utilized, if not, no worries at all. All we ask is you keep the Choltko family in your continued thoughts and prayers. Lance, Bri, Parker and thier two dogs, Jax and Riley.

Thank you all for your continued love and support, trust when I say we feel it.

Our God is a great one! He truly works miracles