The Alvarez Family

My sister Kim is beautiful, caring, healthy and 27 years old. I remember when we were growing up Kim just loved kids she was always the person to call when the neighbors needed a babysitter. Every time we played house she was the mom, every time we played school she was the teacher. She always had this motherly instinct.

Matt was active with the Marines for most of their 6 years of marriage and when he came home they were ready to start a family. When Kimberly found out she was pregnant she had never been so excited. Kim's husband Matt found a new job that would allow Kim to stay home with the baby (Sophie) the only downside was the job was in Utah. Kim wanted to stay in California where she knew her doctors and her family was nearby until Sophie was born and then she was to move to Utah with Matt. Matt moved to Utah to start his job and find a home for their new little family.

Kim went into labor on June 1st at 5:30AM she was resting and saving her energy for delivery and was admitted to the hospital around 6PM. Her due date was June 11th and Matt hadn't planned on being back in California until a few days before. As soon as Kim went into labor he left work and drove to the airport (3 hours away).

In the delivery room our mom Linda, Sister April, Matt's mom Diane, and Matt on speakerphone were with Kim.



The Delivery Room

Kim’s labor was going really well, I remember afterwards my mom kept telling me how she was so impressed by Kim especially being her first child and never going to any classes. Nobody could understand what happened.

Kim had only a couple more pushes and she looked at my mom and said, “I can’t breathe”. Kim repeated herself again and then she went into cardiac arrest. Sophie was quickly removed and thankfully unharmed.

The doctors had a couple of possible explanations of what happened to Kim in the delivery room and yesterday (June 7th) her diagnosis was confirmed. Kim suffered from Amniotic Fluid Embolism. This is extremely rare and there isn’t much information because each case is unique and most mothers who experience this do not survive.



What Amniotic Fluid Embolism is

Phase 1: Amniotic fluid or fetal cells entered into Kim’s blood stream and triggered an allergic reaction. The fluid acted like a blood clot to her heart and lungs. The result was heart and lung collapse and then Kim entered into a coma. Most women do not survive beyond the first stage. Kim did.

Phase 2: During this phase Kim could have severe shivering, coughing, vomiting, and excess bleeding. The blood loses the ability to clot. During this phase it is up to Kim to recover. The doctors have done pretty much everything they can do. The best thing we can do is be there for Kim, keep her company and talk to her.



Today
Kimberly has been home since December, with two short trips to the hospital for upper respiratory infections. We continue her therapies more aggressively than any facility could accommodate. We continue to do Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy to help with here comfort and to make sure that she will have the best opportunity to move her limbs when the time comes for that part of her recovery. We continue to do Speech Therapy as well. This focuses on the five senses: sight, sound, smell, hearing, and touch. In one day we may do more than 6 hours of therapy. When the brain is damaged some cells go dormant to protect themselves from dying. This is a fight to bring back those dormant cells.
We do all of this are selves because insurance does not cover for this. Unlike other injuries, such as a broken bone, there is no telling how long it will take to recover. Medical science is also advancing at a stunning rate. This gives us hope in many ways. They now have FMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to scan the brain to find out what is still working and what is not. The normal MRI can only show where damage was done, and can’t show what is working inside that area. Also with the advances in regenerative medicine the possibility for a full recovery may not be out of reach anymore. These are not a covered option with insurances yet.
Thank you for the continued support and prayers for are family.