# Katies Story



## DouglasB. (Sep 2, 2009)

Before I begin I want to thank all of you for the phone calls, cards, and most of all prayers. We are still need in prayers and I want to thank you ahead of time for continuing to remember us in your prayers. Now here's what happened....

On August 8th Katie had agreed to get up early with me to go to our hunting land to cut shooting lanes the next morning (Which would be Sunday, August 9th.) I had to promise her Starbucks in order to get her up early. I woke up at around 7 AM Sunday morning and started trying to wake her up. I knew it was going to be hot and I wanted to try and be done around 2ish. Some of you realized at WAR that waking Katie up before she wants to get up is like telling Obama that his health care plan is pathetic. Its not by any means an easy task. So we argued. I called her lazy, and said a few things I would go on to regret. 

We got on the road, and after a Starbucks run, we decided to stop at Hardees for breakfast. I made it very clear to the extremely rude cashier that I had no intentions on pulling up, because I wasn't going to make their drive thru times look good all the while I had to wait over 15 minutes on a stupid order of hashbrowns. (This would lead me to believe first that Katie was poisoned as the day went on.)

Katie was in the middle of eating and telling me about how aweful the people at Lenox Mall are when she dropped her bisquit and held her face in her hands. She said she was dizzy and seeing double. I asked her if she thought she needed to go to the hospital. No. She took her sunglasses off and looked at me. She looked like she used to look during our bar hopping days after 12 rounds with Southern Comfort. I asked her again if I needed to take her to the hospital. No. 

We made it out to the hunting land, with her constantly saying she was seeing double of everything. I walked around to help her out of the truck. She nearly fell when she stood, but when she looked at me I noticed her left side of her mouth was drooping. I asked her if she realized it, she said no. I told her that she looked like she was having a stroke and told her to get back in the truck that we were going to the hospital.  She tried to call her mom, but couldn't remember how her phone worked. While driving 90 plus miles an hour on backroads I tried to dial everyone I could. Everyone was in church.

We made it to Saint Josephs East down I-20. It looked like a smaller version of a high school lunchroom. They took her straight back and started running tests. She was laughing. We were laughing. We thought all was well. The took her to the back to do a CAT scan. I wasn't allowed back with her. When they brought her back, she looked dead. She was hunched over, and not responding to anything. Pain, tickling, yelling, nothing. She had the stroke while in the CAT scan, and because it happened during it, the scan showed nothing there. They told me they were going to put her on a life flight to Saint Josephs in Atlanta, and I would have to drive. They said they had no clue what was going on, but they knew she needed a neurologist. 

To keep this as short as I can will fast foward twelve hours. We'd been told that she was having a migraine that didn't include a headache. That there was nothing to worry about. There was no way a 25 year old, who had no reason to have a stroke, would have had a stroke. It wasn't a stroke. "But we are going to do an MRI, just to be sure." This all took place in a regular room. Her nurse came running out to the waiting room and told all of us that she was being rushed to ICU, that we needed to go down there and wait. 

Her doctor approached and told us there were two dark spots on her thalimus that looked like stroke. Only it looked like two strokes, that took place at the same time. 

Doctor after doctor after doctor came to see her. None of them knew how this could have happened. MRI after MRI and we knew nothing. 

Seven days after it took place a neorologist named Dr. McCaslin told us this....

Katie has an artery in her brain that very very few people have. It branches off of the artery that most of us have that is in charge of feeding blood to our brains, and her special artery feeds blood just to her thalimus. (Nearly impossible number 1) A blood clot passed through her heart and lodged itself in that special artery which blocked off blood flow to both sides of her thalimus simultaneously. Stroke on both sides at the same time. (Nearly impossible number 2). Now since she doesn't take birth control, smoke, have high bloodpressure or any of the other ways you can have a stroke (Nearly impossibles numbers 3 - 9) She is now the first person in medical history that this has happened to at her age. 

A stroke team came and looked her over. She couldn't talk. She couldn't remember anything from the last 3 years. She couldn't remember what happened twenty minutes ago. Her left side wasn't as active as her right. And yet, she could move. She could read. She could sit up when she wanted to. She could do things that the stroke team said wouldn't be possible only a week after a stroke. 

Dr. McCaslin says we should go on Oprah. 

We leave the hospital with several prescriptions and no medical insurance. 

In the last three weeks we've watched Katie be reborn. She's talking. She's starting to drive. She's starting to sing. She feeds herself. She does things that shouldn't be possible. She knows she's different and that's made her extremely depressed, but she knows she could have died. 

One of the doctors pulled me to the side and asked how I was handling everything. I told him how upset I was because I'd nearly lost her just after treating her like crap. He told me that had I of not done what I'd done to get her to go with me, she would have died at home. I would have found her on the floor around 2ish, lifeless. 

As the medical bills are rolling in, I realize day in and day out how much the next few years are going to be a struggle. She can't work. I can't stay at my job. My boss isn't being very understanding through all of this. Financially we are up the creek. Her meds alone are 500 a month. So, we are going to be moving to Tampa Florida the end of October to stay with her parents while she recovers. I'm going to reopen my DJ/KJ/Entertainment company and try and restart in Tampa. You'll see me posting on the for sale section tons of hunting stuff, furniture, and other stuff, to see if we can't get enough money to move, reopen my company, and get several months worth of meds. 

With everything I could say negative right now, I'll say this and mean it with every inch of my heart and soul. It's a great day to be alive. Everything is trivial but the fact that my angel is still breathing is what keeps us going. It's a great day to be alive.

Thanks again. God Bless.


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## rjcruiser (Sep 2, 2009)

DouglasB. said:


> With everything I could say negative right now, I'll say this and mean it with every inch of my heart and soul. It's a great day to be alive. Everything is trivial but the fact that my angel is still breathing is what keeps us going. It's a great day to be alive.
> 
> Thanks again. God Bless.



Praise God for His tender mercy and watching over your wife.

How easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day struggle called life and forget about what is most important to us.  Thanks for the reminder.

Praying that the Lord will continue to heal your wife and that you'll be able to find comfort through Him in this difficult time.


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## ddd-shooter (Sep 2, 2009)

Continue to seek God and he will provide for your needs.

Praying for you and Katie


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## secondseason (Sep 2, 2009)

Prayers will continue.  Stay positive and please keep us updated.


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## georgia357 (Sep 2, 2009)

rjcruiser said:


> Praise God for His tender mercy and watching over your wife.
> 
> How easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day struggle called life and forget about what is most important to us.  Thanks for the reminder.
> 
> Praying that the Lord will continue to heal your wife and that you'll be able to find comfort through Him in this difficult time.



RJ put it in better words than I can.  Will keep you and your wife in my prayers.


"One of the doctors pulled me to the side and asked how I was handling everything. I told him how upset I was because I'd nearly lost her just after treating her like crap. He told me that had I of not done what I'd done to get her to go with me, she would have died at home. I would have found her on the floor around 2ish, lifeless."

Looks like somebody might have other plans for your wife.  As far as the money, I would give up everything I own and live in a box to have some things undone.


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## Melissa (Sep 2, 2009)

prayers for you and Katie


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## BRIAN1 (Sep 2, 2009)

God is great and you are right, we should be thankful everyday just to be alive.

Brian1


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## Mackey (Sep 2, 2009)

Doug,
If you and she have survived all that, there's no reason you can't survive the next few years. BTW I'll be praying.


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## Keebs (Sep 2, 2009)

Doug, higher plans are on the horizen for both of you, prayers for both of you sent up!


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## Nicodemus (Sep 2, 2009)

In our prayers, always...


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## GeorgiaBelle (Sep 2, 2009)

DouglasB. said:


> Before I begin I want to thank all of you for the phone calls, cards, and most of all prayers. We are still need in prayers and I want to thank you ahead of time for continuing to remember us in your prayers. Now here's what happened....
> 
> On August 8th Katie had agreed to get up early with me to go to our hunting land to cut shooting lanes the next morning (Which would be Sunday, August 9th.) I had to promise her Starbucks in order to get her up early. I woke up at around 7 AM Sunday morning and started trying to wake her up. I knew it was going to be hot and I wanted to try and be done around 2ish. Some of you realized at WAR that waking Katie up before she wants to get up is like telling Obama that his health care plan is pathetic. Its not by any means an easy task. So we argued. I called her lazy, and said a few things I would go on to regret.
> 
> ...



I am so glad she is doing better!! You will both continue to be in my daily prayers, and I hope that something will come along to relieve the stress you two are having financially. God takes care of His children; this I know for sure. Just keep the faith and give it over to Him.


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## sleeze (Sep 2, 2009)

DouglasB, way to stay positive.  Keep being positive for Katie too, even when she is depressed or negative about stuff.

This is proof that prayer works just by her getting better and better.

Still praying for you and her, bud.


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## Buck (Sep 2, 2009)

Sending up prayers for her continued improvement.    Doug, remember also to take care and time for yourself...    Thanks for the update!


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## Hut2 (Sep 2, 2009)

Prayers still coming your way!


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## Paymaster (Sep 2, 2009)

My Prayers are added for her continued improvement and that God provides all you two need.


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## Lorri (Sep 2, 2009)

Thanks for sharing this with us all.  Prayers for both of you.  Wish you lots of success in your company in Florida.  God will make everything fall into place - don't give up on him.  He has done amazing things in your lives already.  Have to think of the good God has done and not think of the bad that Satan has done.  Hate that she has gone through so much so young but God has a plan for all of us - none of us know from day to day if it will be our last - cherish the moments you have with her. 

God Bless You Both.


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## cmghunter (Sep 2, 2009)

Will continue praying for all of the family.Keep your faith in christ.He has brought you this far.He will continue watching and walking with you daily.


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## crackerdave (Sep 3, 2009)

Prayers sent for Katie and for you,Douglas. Y'all are sure going to need strength from God.

 I hope she makes a complete recovery,and I wish there were something I could do to help you with the financial part.


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## SnowHunter (Sep 3, 2009)

Im so glad to hear Katie's doin much better!! 

Things are tough for yall right now, but, I'll be keepin yall in my prayers and God will get yall through


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## boneboy96 (Sep 3, 2009)

I'm also glad to hear of Katie's improvements...She and you Doug will stay in my prayers.   And I'm looking forward to getting together again for WAR III or anyother function you can possibly make it to!   Good luck in the new venture business wise.   Keep the faith!


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## G Duck (Sep 4, 2009)

Doug, Prayers sent my friend, for you and Katie. Every day is a blessing for sure.


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## georgiaboy (Sep 8, 2009)

I hope everything works out for you both.  

A friend of mine and his wife just stopped by my office about 15 minutes before I read this.  She had a stroke 2 weeks ago while on vacation.  She is an active, fit and healthy 31 year old.  Her doctors still do not know what caused the stroke but she has nealry regained her speech and memory.  I could not tell one bit, but she said when she is really tired her speech still slurs.  Like your situation, her doctors (many by now in 2 states) are very puzzled as she does not fit the typical stroke patient "mold" whatsoever.

I hope your wife recovers just as quickly.


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## jigman (Sep 9, 2009)

Prayers sent for you and Katie.


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## Jasper (Sep 9, 2009)

Prayers sent!


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## Inthegarge (Sep 9, 2009)

We are praying, God is listening....don't get any better than that !!!   RW


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## Goatwoman (Sep 10, 2009)

*Prayers*

Prayers are sent !  God has a plan for you and Katie. Remember to keep your head held high and you will be stronger in Faith through these times.


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## Goatwoman (Sep 12, 2009)

*Prayers*

I had Katie on my mind today !  Prayers are sent each and everyday for Katie .


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## NoOne (Sep 13, 2009)

prayers sent


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## muskiehunter (Sep 15, 2009)

May you both keep positive and keep your faith in GOD..  He has plans for you both..  She has come along way and will be in my prayers always.. Prayers for  you both..


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## Tomboy Boots (Sep 15, 2009)

georgia_357 said:


> Looks like somebody might have other plans for your wife.  As far as the money, I would give up everything I own and live in a box to have some things undone.



It's for sure that money isn't going to do you a bit of good if you don't have the one you love... You and Katie have been very richly blessed in that you have each other. There are definitely some things in life that money can't buy... Love, trust and happiness can't be bought.



Paymaster said:


> My Prayers are added for her continued improvement and that God provides all you two need.



God will provide all you need. Trust him. And if you do have a fund raiser I will do anything I can to help, just let me know.


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## hoopdaddy (Sep 15, 2009)

Prayers up from hoopdaddy and family


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