More than one month after her daughter Chelsea was air-lifted to BC Children鈥檚 Hospital for emergency surgery, Kara Kazimer still cannot find the words to express herself.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just been amazing how people have come together for us,鈥� Kazimer marvelled, referring to the dozens of hot meals, provided by many of the parents of Chelsea鈥檚 fellow members of Elite Rising Stars team at the Club, and gifts from her son鈥檚 soccer club, bestowed upon the family over the past month.
鈥淲e鈥檝e never been in this kind of situation before 鈥� we鈥檝e been overwhelmed with all the support.鈥�
It started, she explained, with a stomach ache on Sept.17.
When it persisted two days later, Kazimer took her daughter to the emergency room where the nine-year-old Vernon girl remained for three days before being air-lifted to the in Vancouver and diagnosed with Hemolytic-uremic syndrome or HUS, a condition caused by what Interior Health later called 鈥渁 very rare strain鈥� of E-Coli that resulted in Chelsea鈥檚 kidneys shutting down.鈥�
鈥淪he was put on dialysis so they had to do surgery and put a tube in her stomach,鈥� Kazimer explained. 鈥淚nitially she was on dialysis for 20 hours a day, but her body responded really fast, and they were able to take it down to half the day on and half the day off. And then she was taken off it completely.鈥�
In regard to how Chelsea came into contact with E.Coli, Kazimer said doctors have been unable to pinpoint a direct source, but that the team working on her daughter at BC Children鈥檚 Hospital told her it is fairly common for children to carry E.Coli and not know it.
鈥淪he could really have picked it up anywhere 鈥� she could have touched something that somebody else (who carried the bacteria) touched. She could have eaten a cookie and not washed her hands,鈥� Kazimer noted.鈥淭here was no restaurant or food we could pick out. We just know her system couldn鈥檛 battle it.鈥�
鈥淚 never could have imagined there was that much kindness and generosity out there.鈥� - Kara Kazimer
On Oct. 16, after roughly one month, Chelsea and her father Jason, who remained in Vancouver for the duration of her hospitalization, finally came home.
鈥淚t was quite a long haul, but everything seems to be going in the right direction now,鈥� Kazimer said, adding that while Jason had stayed with Chelsea, she had remained in Vernon to work and care for their son, Alex, who just started Grade 8, and travelled to the coast every weekend.
鈥淲e consider the experience overall to be a positive because of how lucky we are that Chelsea is getting better, and that people were so supportive. I never could have imagined there was that much kindness and generosity out there.鈥�
According to Camille Martens, Chelsea鈥檚 instructor at the gymnastics club and the organizer of the , taking care of each other is 鈥減retty normal.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 just what we do,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e all know how it feels to go through a tough time, and we consider ourselves a family鈥攕o when someone in the family needs a hand, you just pitch in and help where you can.鈥�
Martens said the concept of a Meal Train鈥攁n interactive online calendar that helps friends coordinate the giving of food to help ease the burden (whether it be time or cost) of meal preparation, appealed to her because it鈥檚 a useful and simple way to make a difference in someone鈥檚 life when they鈥檙e faced with a challenge.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just been an amazing thing for us,鈥� Kazimer said of Martens鈥� effort.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 even know very many people at the gym because we had only been there for a little while so it was amazing how the Rising Stars family came together for us.鈥�
And the hospitality didn鈥檛 stop there, Kazimer added.
鈥淢y son鈥檚 soccer team gave us a gift basket filled with gift cards for places like M & M Meats ,Home for Dinner, and Papa Nick鈥檚 (Global Cuisine) and my coworkers (at Okanagan College) purchased a tablet for Chelsea to use while she was in the hospital. And last week we were all invited to see the Whitecaps play in Vancouver. I still can鈥檛 believe it. We鈥檙e a soccer family and the Whitecaps are Chelsea鈥檚 favourite. 鈥�
As far as Chelsea鈥檚 health, Kazimer says her little girl is currently back at school, in much better health and in great spirits.
鈥淚t was a hard month for sure, but we have so many good memories that we will take from this,鈥� Kazimer said. 鈥淲hen we look back on this, we will remember more good than bad, and that鈥檚 because of the community we live in.鈥�
Erin Christie
Morning Star Staff
erin.christie@vernonmorningstar.com
