Hi Girls and Guys,
Yes, this is me Kimber. With the help of my dear friend Sue Schimka I am putting out this statement for you all. First let me thank you all for all the prayers and good wishes you have been sending my way. I sure do need it. In the past you know I have always been very forthcoming about things in my life both good and bad and sometimes even with the best of intentions people mix things up and get the wrong message. So I hope with this note I can set some things straight for you all and help ease your minds and questions.
On June 3rd I was diving off the Lois Ann on the wreck of the Hogan. It was a great day with lots of fun people on board. We had not been to the Hogan in a very long time and it was just great to be out there. For the 4th we were to go to the Yukon to place a plaque on the wreck in memory of our friend Steve Donathan who died last year. Anyway, I had done a good first dive and then with a nice surface interval did a second dive. I had plenty of gas, visibility was very good, and everyone underwater was in clear contact and communication with each other. I got a chance to look around and have a "fun dive". I remember seeing Joel cruise by me on his "war pony". As I was heading along the trail line, that Tyler left on the bottom back to the shot line, we exchanged hand signals and he told me he was doing a sweep of the wreck to make sure everyone was off it.
I made my ascent with the rest of the group and completed my stops. After I completed my last deco stop, I indicated to one of the other divers that I was cold, and so I surfaced. I surfaced and I went to the back of the boat and asked them to help me get out of my gear because I didn't feel well. I remember being on the police boat and Eric telling me to hang on. I have no recollection of anything after that until I was taken off the respirator last week.
They tell me it was pretty frightening dealing with me. On the deck of the boat Joel got the entire crew organized and everyone back on board and off the site in record time, something like 5 minutes or so. Bob and Eric worked on me keeping me alive, with oxygen and CPR and monitoring my vitals as best as possible. Capt Carl and Joel dealt with getting the evacuation done. (I had been taught about evacuations but never actually did one myself, I can only imagine how hard it was for all these people to be taking care of me during this time.) They tell me that when the helicopter showed up we were just too close to shore and I was too critical to make good use of it so I was transferred to the SD Fire rescue boat. Joel went with me with all the info to the ambulance and the hospital. I recall them telling me it was something like an hour and 15 minutes. That's Pink Speed Time in my book! It took Joel at the hospital a few hours to get a hold of my Mom who then stepped in with the hospital. I am sure it was not easy for any of her. It sure wasn't easy for me either!
I understand that on the boat deck I had something like 6 or 7 seizures, a pulse rate of 60 or less, and then I had few more seizures in the SD boat and more in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Once in the ER they worked on me hard, getting me intubated, catheterized, and tried to get me stable enough for treatments. I've had CT scans, EEGs, EKGs, Hyperbaric treatments and more tests than I can even recall. At one point they tell me I was on a dialysis machine to help my kidneys process and reduce the swelling of my body and brain.
I know you have all been screaming for information and you may have beaten up some of the crew and people on board that day for not putting information out about me. Guys, I was in CRITICAL condition. They were not sure exactly what was wrong with me or if I was going to live or die or what state I would be in if I did live. My mother who I love so much, told Joel to keep a lid on this until such time as information needed to go out. She did not know what she had on her hands. She felt that she needed to protect my children from finding out about things they did not need to know. Only very close people were kept in the loop on my moment-to-moment changes, progress, and setbacks. It's been hard for all of them watching and hearing about me and I love them all. Finally after a few days they let Joel put out a single statement about me, but that was it, and that is just fine with me. Mom's can be overprotective sometimes and I am sure she was just scared and wanting to protect me and my children.
So where we are at now is this. They tell me I had an arterial gas embolism, (AGE). We don't exactly know why yet, they will do some more tests later after the swelling is all gone. Survival rate of a gas embolism is pretty low, I seem to be a lucky case. The care that I have been getting has been great. The hospital (and you know how much I don't like those) have been caring for me round the clock. Last week after they took me off the respirator, no one was sure if I would wake up but I did. Amazing what Pink Power can do!
They finally moved me yesterday to a new facility closer to my home where I started rehabilitation today. I don't know how long it will
take for me to get out of this place but for now it has to turn into my home. I'm awake, I can talk and laugh and cry. I can see my children, my mom, my aunt, and my friends who come by. But, I get tired easily, I am on a lot of medications, I can't hold a phone yet, or type, feed myself, or even go to the bathroom myself. I can move my hands a bit and grip things, but not well. I can move my right leg, and with some help I have been able to stand and can sit up by myself. I tried to get out of bed the other night but that did not work too well. I get frustrated that the things I want to do I just can't. I hope to do it in some time. Little steps each day, but i'm tough and i'm gonna do it, but I am scared. Some of you know I train horses, so for now I'm just like a little horse learning how to
take little steps one at a time.
My dear friend's Sue and TJ have been visting me and staying with me as often as they can and my Mom calls them my "Sisters" now. I'm glad I have them so close and available to me. I know it's a burden for them as they have their own lives and families as well. I'm glad to have everyone who has come to help. I know my friend Tracy has set up a Recovery Fund website for me and my kids and I'm grateful for that, all your help is greatly appreciated, and the guys who run the Scuba Board and Deco Stop have been handling all the inquiries as best as possible. I'm sorry that you all kinda felt that there was a whitewash being put on this, there wasn't, what they all did about information is just fine with me. At this time I just want to get better. The crew, Capt Carl, Joel, Bob, Eric, Chad, Tyler, and all the others saved me. I am alive today because of everything they did and I love them all. Whatever they did and however they did it was what allows me to be alive today. You all need to know that they saved my life! My Mom, My Aunt, Sue, and TJ deal with me on a daily basis and I love them all too. I can only imagine how hard it's been for all of them these past few weeks. But they are all tough too and I know they will all be fine as well.
So in the meantime I am going to get working on getting better. As I have more progress reports Sue will put them out for me. She will cross post them to the web boards and to the website that Tracy and Howard set up.
http://www.tekdivegirl.org Once I am able to use my hands again and type I will scream for my laptop and get talking with you all again. Please continue with your prayers for me. I need them. And I do greatly appreciate all you are doing with the recovery fund, that's really kind of you all to chip in there.
Life is fragile, life is precious. My kids need me to get better and come home so that's my focus now. If you want to get a message to me just send it to Sue and she will print it out and read it to me but don't expect her to be my secretary and send replies. I need her help for other things now.
Love to you all.
Kimber
