NEED TO KNOW
Chris Kamke experienced a serious medical emergency while hiking with his family in Zion National Park.
The mother had recently learned that her breast cancer was in remission
The sudden change in Chris’ health left her “paralyzed, in a coma and dependent on a ventilator,” read a GoFundMe for her.
A mother and recent breast cancer survivor is now paralyzed and in a coma after going hiking with her family in Utah.
Chris Kamke traveled to Utah for a hike in Zion National Park with her husband, Kendall, and their son Kyle, shortly after learning her breast cancer was in remission this summer, WBAY reported.
After their first day, during which the family crossed the Narrows, Chris felt good.
On September 20, his family chose Bryce Canyon in the park as their next destination, but after finishing, Chris began experiencing “severe pain in his legs, thighs and hips,” reads a GoFundMe set up for the family.
Chris Kamke with her husband and son.
Credit: gofundme
Unable to sit or lie down long enough for her family to chase her out of the canyon, Chris was eventually airlifted to a nearby hospital in Panguitch, Utah, according to the fundraiser.
“Within hours, Chris developed difficulty breathing and a CT scan revealed fluid in his lungs. He was later diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia,” the GoFundMe description reads. “His doctors believe that while his body was fighting the infection, his immune system also began attacking his spinal cord, with the inflammation spreading to his brainstem.”
Chris was later diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. It is a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the nerves in the eye and spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic.
She is now paralyzed and remains in a coma and on a ventilator, the family said in their GoFundMe.
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Chris’ medical emergency left her thousands of miles from her family’s home in Wisconsin, and her family is seeking help to get her transferred to a hospital there.
The family says the cost of a hospital transport flight to Wisconsin could exceed $50,000 and that their insurer won’t cover the cost.
Today, they are working with a nonprofit called Grace on Wings to organize a hospital transport flight to Wisconsin with volunteer medical staff, using money from the GoFundMe to pay for the plane’s fuel.
As of Thursday, October 8, GoFundMe had raised more than $35,000 and the family hopes to bring Chris home within the next week, according to WBAY.
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