Katie Grace Groebner is a 7-year-old girl who suffers from a rare disease, pulmonary hypertension, and who will soon need a heart and lung transplant. Unfortunately, she contracted H1N1 last week, and is now in the hospital.Adding to this family's latest trial is the fact that Katie Grace's mom, Kathy Groebner, had tried to protect her daughter, with her vulnerable health, from H1N1, first by removing her from school in October, and then starting her on the swine flu vaccine as soon as it became available. Katie Grace received her first dose and was due to receive her second dose (they give it in two doses), on November 21, but "no one had it," Kathy says. Stanford medical center had obtained doses of the vaccine, and Katie Grace was scheduled to get the second dose on November 30. "I thought I had time," her mom says.
But last week, Katie Grace and her mother accompanied Katie Grace's older sister's class from Mt. Diablo Elementary school on a field trip. Some other students apparently had the swine flu, with a note going home with students that night, saying that 14 students at the school had been confirmed as having swine flu since school started.
As soon as Kathy received word on Friday that a boy who sits next to her older daughter had a confirmed case of H1N1, doctors started both Katie Grace and her older sister on Tamiflu. On Saturday, Katie Grace started to run a fever of 103.
Kathy Groebner posted an update on Katie Grace's condition last night on Caring Bridge, a website that connects family and friends during a serious health event.
4 comments:
God bless you Katie Grace. You are in my prayers for a quick recovery.
Poor thing! Hope she pulls through!
Prayers for little Katie Grace.
Our race club ran The Relay last year and Katie Grace was our honoree. I'm letting them all know about her recent infection with the goal of getting as much positive energy going her way as possible.
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