Kate Hunter Updates

Friends of Katie, We are writing as Wednesday 11/29 winds down.  It has been a whirlwind day filled with milestones and next steps.   The photo above is Katie arriving at UW Medical Center for what looks like a 3-4 week stay for in-patient rehab.  She is either flashing a V for victory sign, some unknown gang sign, or the universal sign that all beauticians know in the hair cutting world.... we clearly don't know but are thrilled that Katie has successfully graduated from Harborview to the next step in recovery. Over the past three days, Katie has made tremendous strides in her recovery. All of her doctors, nurses, and therapists have been so positive and encouraging that rehab was right around the corner and all they were waiting on was a bed opening up either at Harborview or UW...... and the UW it was!  Katie is now at the UW Medical Center is in room #806 using the Pacific Elevators.  Katie learned about her schedule the next three + weeks and ...

GREAT NEWS!  Kate has been moved to UW Medicine for Rehab. New location directions: UW Medicine  Main Entrance  Go to the right to Pacific Tower  8th Floor  Rm 806  The journey to a full recovery changes today as she begins to take on many new challenges in rehab. We will update you with what visiting looks like with rehab starting tomorrow. She is most likely going to be a busy and tired girl but will still need and want her support team surrounding her!  Thank for your continuous thoughts and prayers. We love each and everyone of you.  -Kate's Fam

Friends of Kate,  The last few days have been nothing but positive for Kate.   Katie's activity, appetite, and energy have spiked to very exciting level.    We have much to share and don't have the time right now to do a full update but wanted to make sure all of you were aware that Katie has been approved for In-Patient rehab at the UW Rehabilitation Unit.    As of Wednesday 11/29 late afternoon, Katie will be transferred over to:  UW Hospital,  8th floor, Room NN 806 We are thrilled to see Katie making such magnificent strides and will update you with more details later this evening.   

Friends of Katie, Katie is full of emotion and gratitude for all of the support you have shown to her.  She gets a bit weepy as she continues to get in touch with all that has happened these past 15 days.  She wanted to make sure that all of you know how very much she appreciates your thoughts and prayers.   The picture above is the view out of Kate's room.  It is a great view over Elliot Bay, downtown and the Port.  The big news is that Katie has finally had her feeding tube pulled out of her nose.   Saturday morning, after having pulled it out for the fourth time, all unsanctioned by the medical team, they decided she didn't need to have it put back in.  She is relieved beyond words!!   The tricky thing now will be the monitoring of her liquids and nutrient intake and the balancing of her blood sugars. She had a couple of very good days since Thanksgiving.   She is up and walking,  taking slow la...

Friends of Katie, This picture is Kate with Zach, Callie, Meredith and niece Camden, as we celebrated Thanksgiving at Harborview with about 20 family members.  Kate was able to get in a big chair on wheels and roll into a little waiting room down the hall for a very meaningful Thanksgiving day.  Katie enjoyed being with family and continues to make progress on a daily basis.   She is close to getting the feeding tube out of her nose as they are now testing to make sure she can pass the "swallowing test" as well as getting her blood sugars and insulin balanced out.   Katie's night nurse for the past three nights is a gentleman named Jean Pierre.    He continues to call her a very "clever girl" as she has now pulled out her nasal feeding tube twice and the nurses are getting a tad bit frustrated.  It probably has more to do with her negligent parents.....not wanting to restrain Kate's hands....    It apparently is re...

Friends of Katie, Kate has made the move!!  Last night around 10:00 pm she was transferred up to the 3rd floor, room 360 in the Neuroscience - Acute Care unit.   Kate has a private little room looking directly west over Elliott Bay toward Alki Point and Banbridge Island. By 11:00 pm Tuesday night Kate's bowels had a glorious response to all of your prayers!  Her gut seems to be waking up and finding its rhythm.  We are grateful for the little,  hidden things that all too often are taken for granted. Katie's night nurse on Tuesday was a man named Jean-Pierre.  A middle-aged man of African descent with a deeply soothing accent was so great for Katie last night and helped her make a smooth transition.  Another bit of great news to share is that through the generosity of one of Callie's dear friends, they have allowed us to use a condo of theirs just 5 blocks from Harborview.   It will be great to have a temporary base so ...

Friends of Katie,    Monday , day 10.0 of Katie’s ordeal.  Kim spent the night with her and said she rested well until 5 or 6 am.     Katie looked great this morning after a good nights rest.   Bernadette is her nurse today, to whom Katie seems to respond well.  Katie got up and was able to sit in a chair for approximately 1 hour and then she stood up and with Kevin and did what looked like an awkward slow dance.  I think Dancing with the Stars is around the corner.  Each of the labs that have come back is negative for infection. This is great news as Katie rolls forward to getting out of the ICU.   The took some pictures of her abdomen to ensure that they are hearing and feeling on the outside is actually happening on the inside.   At this point, they are looking to have her out of the ICU by the end of the day, which may or may not happen.  Katie is so ready to get out of the bed and more im...

Friends of Katie, Sunday was day 8.0 of Katie’s ordeal.  Her brother Zach stayed with her Saturday night at the hospital and shared that she rested very peacefully throughout the night.    Throughout the day Sunday, the pressing challenges for Katie remained two-fold:  1. Fighting infection and  2. Starting up the intestinal process.  First, the medical team continued to treat Katie for pneumonia throughout the day and while her temperature continued to stay around normal and her heart rate was appropriate her white cell count continued to be elevated.    Later in the morning, the team decided to test for an infection called c-diff (not even sure if that is how it is spelled and too tired to check).  All we know is that it is a serious enough infection that it requires an upgraded protocol for anyone that comes into Katie’s room. This meant we needed to gown up and pull on latex gloves.   The good news is that by ...

Friends of Katie, What a difference a day makes!  This time the results tilted in the direction of positive.  After a very challenging night, the balance of the day was very restful, and Katie is much much better.  The below is a photo from the hospital looking west at the Smith Tower.  What the team believes happened yesterday was that when Katie threw up, she aspirated some of the fluid and started the infection in her lungs.   She had a high fever in the morning and an elevated heart rate.   They put her on a strong antibiotic and placed a cooling blanket under her and packed ice all around her.  By 11:00 am her fever had begun to come down and her heart rate began to slow.  She was able to rest for a huge part of the afternoon and evening. Twice during the day, the nurses got Katie up to do the “dangle”.  Both times she stood up, took a couple of steps and jumped back in bed exhausted.  Later in the ev...

Friends, We wanted to put a quick post out saying that Katie isn't able to see visitors today.  After a morning consult with the medical staff, all felt it would be important for her to get as much rest as possible as she fights off this infection, what they think is pneumonia. We would certainly welcome people to come by and say hi and hang out for a bit, but the main star of the show is laying low for the day. Thanks again for all your prayers!  Go Kate

Friends of Kate,  Today was dramatically different from yesterday.   After a day filled with big milestones, Friday proved to be a day filled with frustration and confusion.   At one-point Katie was asked if she was experiencing any pain she said yes.  When asked what she needed, she simply said, “I need my freedom”.   She is thirsty, tired of lying in bed, hot with fever.  She is ready to go!  It was just a frustrating day for her….. Our prayer is for patience during this long fight.   Patience for Katie and patience for all of us.   The medical staff has been doing a balancing act between pain management, high fever, potential infection, elevated heart rate, low oxygen levels and continued issues in her gut.  Most of the above, we are learning is very normal for patients with head injuries.  We have heard it throughout our time here…..three steps forward, two steps back.  It is an up and...

Hey all! For those of you who don't know, friends of Kate have started a YouCaring to pay for her medical expenses. I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that with every positive update comes that looming concern of "how expensive will this all be in the end?" So, we're taking that worry upon ourselves, and lifting it off of Katie's & the family's shoulders! This is just one small way we can help so that Kate can simply focus on being strong, comfortable, encouraged, and better each day. Without any kind of sure timeline for her hospital stay & recovery needs, we don't have a specific amount of money we're trying to raise. Therefore any amount is appreciated & will certainly be needed. Here is the link where you can donate,  & please feel free to share:  https://www.youcaring.com/katiehunter-1011973 Thank you so much, Brit (& friends)

Friday 11/17/17   10:00 am For those of you who have inquired about how to send Katie cards and packages, we feel it would be best to have you mail them to her sister Callie's home.  She will store them until Kate is able to open and enjoy them.  Please address items as below:  Katie Hunter c/o Callie Hunter 1409 30th Ave Seattle, WA 98122

Friends of Kate, As Thursday evening wanes it is with great joy that we report that today has been proven to be a wonderful day for Katie.  We ended yesterday’s update with two specific needs we believe required prayers and other mysterious forms of petition on her behalf.  It is here that Katie would want me to test your memory and see if you even remember what they were…….   Waiting…….   Your correct.  The first need was that Katie’s left arm and leg would start to be more responsive.    The second was that her bowels would start to wake up.  First, to report on Katie’s left side, she met with a Physical Therapist who she really seemed to respond to.   She positioned Katie’s helmet on and got her to sit up and yes do a “dangle”.  Then she asked her to raise her left arm as high as she could which resulted in her going over her head.   She then asked her to kick her legs out starting with her right fo...

We thank God for the love and support that you all have shown Kate and our family. From the last post: “Another thing we are continuing to learn is related to the rhythm of the day for Katie. We know that sleep and rest are critical for her brain to heal and that we need to monitor her stimulation in a way that allows her the best mix of rest and visitors.” The following visitation plan and guidelines are based on what is best for Kate’s recovery and we thank you for your cooperation, understanding, and grace in advance. Visitation Plan: WEEKDAYS - Call/Text Kev, Kim, Zach/Mere, Callie to coordinate a time WEEKEND - Visiting Hours: 10 AM – 1 PM and 5 PM – 7 PM General Visitation Guidelines: - Check-in in the waiting room with a family member before going to see Kate - It may be that we will have to reschedule your visit if it’s not a good time - Depending on how Kate is doing, there may be restrictions or limitations on seeing Kate Food: One way to serve our family is to bri...

It is 11:30 pm on Wednesday and we find ourselves again at the end of a long day but thankful beyond words for the continued outpouring of support and encouragement for Katie.     It is day 4.5 since the accident and the medical staff at Harborview continues to communicate a positive and very hopeful prognosis for Katie.   Statements such as “she is young and strong”, “she seems to be a fighter”, and “she has a whole bunch of support” come from the amazing staff that make up her care team. As we continue to learn, Katie’s overall physical status is more complicated than just a simple “she is doing better” or “doing worse” type of scale.   First, what has been most urgent has been her brain injury.  The doctors shared that her EEG scan (brain activity) looked very good and is showing no signs of stress or seizures.  The CAT scans are not showing any additional bleeding or swelling so that is very positive.  The doctors and nurses c...

Friends of Katie, We continue to be grateful and humbled by the amount of support and prayer that have surround Katie. We also again are so thankful for the skilled staff that have cared for her during this 3.5 day journey.     Katie had a rough night last night as she was having difficulty urinating. The staff ended up having to put a catheter back in. She had been receiving protein and other nutrients through a feeding tube throughout the day, and there was concern of a possible bowel obstruction causing her to experience a significantly distended belly. They took her downstairs for a CAT scan and it confirmed the obstruction.   They ended up pulling the feeding tube out and putting in a line that sucked all of the “food” back out that she’d been fed previously. In her discomfort she was actively moving all extremities (although less pronounced on the left side). She was very uncomfortable and deeply agitated, but thankfully all of that activity ...

Hello friends of Kate, We just wanted to share some of the highlights of today to let you all be a part of Kate's day.  Since this morning, Kate has seemingly regained some control of the left hand, giving a good "squeeze" on command.  When alert, she has nodded, said her name, and said "thank you" to an amazing nurse whom she has bonded with.  She seems to be listening and has responded to questions about where she is, "the hospital".  She is currently hooked up to an EEG machine for a 24 hour period to allow her team to monitor her brain activity while under video and audio surveillance. They are still doing infection protocol as she still is showing signs of infection. She's had fewer visitors today, which is what the nursing staff recommends and what will allow her brain the best chance of healing, but the visitor's lounge has been a mainstay for many. We're told that this journey of ups and downs is pretty typical for brain injury, bu...

Dear friends of Katie, Doctors were just in, and there continues to be positive movement with Katie. But, obviously, she has had some significant head trauma. She just was given an MRI, which looked good and they saw no further bleeding. They’ve now removed the drain from her head surgery, and the catheter. They’re going to hook her up to an EEG later this morning to look at the brain and monitor brain activity. Kate continues to respond to audio demands. This morning when asked by the nurse if she knew her name, she responded “Katie,” and she said she was in the hospital. She also continues to respond to stimulation in her extremities. Due to the head injury being on the right side, the left side of her body is less responsive, which is normal. Last night they did a CT scan which didn’t show any additional bleeding. She is running a fever and there are signs of infection, as well as an elevated white blood cell count. So, doctors are trying to determine where the infection i...

Good Morning Friends and Family, Wow you are all truly amazing. We have felt so loved over the past couple days and are so grateful to be part of this community. Your thoughts and prayers have been needed and appreciated. Please continue to send them.  As of now the medical team has suggested we monitor the time and number of visitors depending on how she is doing each day. She will be having lots of tests run the next couple days and need her rested and as clear headed as she can be. We will keep you all updated on time frames that will be best for visitation.  You are invited to visit this site as it will be our best way to communicate with you all. We will update new information, visiting hours, and prayer requests as frequent as possible. As of now we have been asked to hold off on visitors till we talk to doctors again. We thank each of you for your love and support through this hard time. We love you all. -Callie