PLEASE PRAY FOR KATIE!

Katie (KaSandra) Litkea is the daughter of Tom Litkea and Bonnie Jensen.  She is a sister to Shanda Litkea, Rochelle (Kelly/Sissy) Breunig and Mason Litkea.  Her aunt, Christy (Litkea) Johnson has also been a very important person in her life.  Her paternal grandmother is Rose Litkea and maternal grandparents are Dave and Karen Akerberg.  She is a 2007 Graduate of New Lisbon High School and had just recently completed her second year of college at UW Platteville with the hopes of continuing her college education in the “nursing” field.  Anyone that knows Katie may have all of the same ways to describe her . . . “Fun”, “Big Brown eyes”, “Infectious Smile”, “Very easy going attitude” “great with kids”, “didn’t like something, she’d let ya know!”  Such as, touching her feet, looking in her purse or messing with her cell phone”.

Katie’s tragic journey began on Thursday, May 21^st when she was admitted into Mercy Hospital in Dubuque, IA after enduring symptoms of a kidney infection that were not going away. By Thursday evening she had developed a severe cough and things went swiftly downhill from there.  She was transferred into the ICU unit and put on a ventilator along with a “broad spectrum” of medications to try and treat a number of possible infections. Then came the scary news that Katie would need to be med-flown to a larger facility that could try and figure out what was going on with her.  Watching the med-flight take off, tears flowed down the family’s faces as they had no idea what would lie ahead.  As family was arriving at the UW Medical Center in Madison they had received word that Katie had went into cardiac arrest right before landing and CPR was performed on her to bring her back.  As they needed time to get Katie settled into the Trauma and Life Support Center (TLC), a Doctor came to speak with the family.  His first words were, “Katie is in a Life Threatening Situation”.

Katie had an “awesome team” of Doctors working with her at the UW which consisted of Cardiology, Infectious Diseases, Neurology and Pulmonary along with her team of Resident Doctors along with many special nurses. But somehow Katie has been able to stump them all.  Out of all the different panels of tests that have been run, only one test has ever come back positive.  It is a “respiratory” virus called Parainfluenza #3.  One of the Neurologists stated that Katie had a “Really Rare Response to a Very Common Virus”, which is now out of her system.  The “unknown” answer to all of this is what caused the “encephalitis” which means, “inflammation on the brain”.  The family has been told that medically no one seems to be aware of any cases where a Parainfluenza virus #3 has ever attacked the brain since it is a respiratory infection.  So the Neurologists continue to analyze whether Katie’s brain injury is due completely to a lack of oxygen (anoxic injury) during the cardiac arrest or whether a viral infection also infected the brain. She is currently recovering from “whatever” it is that caused her to acquire an injury to the brain. 

The family has been told that her prognosis is “unknown” and why, or how, this all happened may forever be a “mystery”.  One of Katie’s Neurologists said that this is a “horrible, horrible condition that she’s in, but it’s not terribly bleak.  Young people have amazing powers of recovery.” 

So with her vitals stabilized, breathing tube out, heart functioning improving and the Parainfluenza virus gone, we wait for her brain to heal.  It now rests in Katie and God’s hands and with the continued prayers and wonderful support of friends, family and beyond. Katie’s currently residing at “Clearview Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center” in Juneau, WI.   

The family has maintained a Facebook Group page for Katie titled “Please Pray for Katie” and also at www.caringbridge.org/visit/katielitkea. It has been a very useful means of communication for updates on Katie’s situation.  With over 1400 members strong, she is truly loved and remembered by family, friends and even total strangers. Monetary donations may be made payable to the “KATIE LITKEA BENEFIT FUND”.  Donations may be mailed to: The Bank of Mauston/NL Branch, 800 Germantown Road, New Lisbon, WI  53950.

She is young and she is a fighter!!