Timeline of Events

December 24, 2008
Dee woke up just as she did any other day, made her round of phone calls to relatives and friends, and had her usual morning coffee. She later began to feel symptoms of nausea, headache, sensitivity to light and sound. Mistaking her illness for a migraine, with which she was all too familiar, she went to lay down in her darkened bedroom - her preferred way of coping with migraines. By 8:30pm she was unresponsive and rushed to the emergency room. Upon her arrival she had a temperature of 108, was placed in a tub of ice and had developed purple spots throughout her body. She was admitted to the ICU and had tested negative for meningitis via spinal tap, but was treated with antibiotics as a precautionary. Her body had swollen up and her hands and feet were extremely cold due to lack of blood flow to extremities in order to preserve her vital organs. Her eyes were open but she was not coherent; her arms were strapped down to the bedside to prevent her from struggling with the hospital staff and visitors. She was on a respirator, and would later be heavily sedated to the point to what is commonly referred to as "induced coma"

December 25, 2008
The infectious disease specialist was called in and diagnosed Dee's illness as meningoccocemia- a bacterial form of meningitis. Her spinal tap previously showed negative for meningitis because it was testing for the viral disease (not bacterial). The doctors explained that she had gone into DIC (Disseminated intravascular coagulation), which were the cause of bruising throughout her body. Essentially, the bacteria attacked her bloodstream and caused the poison to leak through her blood vessels. The disease, although rare, is more common among young children and college aged young adults and was puzzling to the medical staff why a woman in her forties would catch it. Her condition was stated as "poor" and the doctors were not sure if she would survive.

December 26, 2008
Although her condition was diagnosed and she had been receiving proper antibiotic treatment to fight the bacterial infection, Dee suffered kidney failure and by mid-day she experienced a questionable heart attack; there is controversy behind this as the blood tests and EKG suggest it was a heart attack, but her doctors did not come to any conclusion or agreement. Early signs of jaundice also caused a normal appearance to her complexion which was misleading. Our family was informed that if she survived, multiple amputation would be necessary.

December 27, 2008
She began receiving Xigris therapy- a medication drip to help increase her blood flow. Within hours she responded well to the therapy, and from this day forward her condition, while still poor, improved little by little. In the days to come she would also begin to receive dialysis to filter her blood, which would reduce swelling throughout her body. The jaundice would eventually clear up as well. Unfortunately, the bruises throughout her body would blister and burst open as wounds.

January 5, 2009
The doctors had been decreasing her sedation levels in an effort to "wake" her up during the previous several days. My little brother and I had arrived at the hospital and saw she had opened her eyes, with her head slumped down to the side. We ran into the room, and I knelt down by the bed to where she & I could make eye contact. It was clear that she was not completely coherent, but as I stood up she turned her head to follow me. She was responsive.

January 8, 2009
Able to communicate by blinking and shaking her head "Yes" or "No", Dee would have the uncomfortable tubing removed from her mouth that had been supplying oxygen. She received a tracheotomy this day, which allowed her to mouth words although she could not yet speak.

January 9, 2009
Dee is transferred to an LTAC (Long Term Acute Care) facility that specializes in wound treatment. Unfortunately, the following day I received a phone call from her physician at the new facility that her condition was too severe and she would need to be transferred to a hospital with an operating room as soon as possible.

January 11, 2009
She is transferred to a nearby hospital, which is a different facility than where she was originally admitted during her critical moments.

January 13, 2009
We had met with her surgical team, and due to her fingers and feet dying (from lack of blood flow), they recommended amputation as soon as possible to prevent gangrene infection. Surgery on this day was to remove her fingers and to amputate both legs below her knees.

January 20, 2009
Dee receives a follow up surgery on her amputation sites; the doctors determine that at least one of her knees may not be viable.

January 29, 2009
Dee undergoes a final leg amputation at the knee level. We were informed that her patella (knee cap) on both legs would be removed. We would much later discovered both knees were left fully intact! She also undergoes skin grafts to patch up her legs, where skin had previously died from the open wounds that had blistered open.

February 13, 2009
Surgery again, this time to graft skin on her arms and hands.

February 16, 2009
She undergoes one more procedure to remove the trach tube. The doctor explained a "button" would be placed in her throat to close the opening, but it was not needed as her trach site was small enough to close within a day.

February 18, 2009
Dee is finally transferred to an LTAC facility where she has been receiving great wound care and has continued to heal, improve, and gain muscle strength.

February 20, 2009
A special day, Dee is placed in a wheel chair for the first time and is able to go outside, another first since her illness took hold.

February 25, 2009
Yet another special day: Dee hits a milestone birthday while in the hospital!

March 27, 2009
After receiving excellent wound care and some introductory physical therapy, Dee is transferred to a Physical Rehabilitation facility- the final phase of her in-patient hospital care!

April 12, 2009
Almost there... Dee is granted temporary clearance to make a quick visit home for the first time in several months!

April 17, 2009
After a grueling four-month recovery at various hospital facilities, Delia finally gets to come home for good!!