Brothers, I hope you are all well and enjoying your start of spring wherever you journeys have taken you and your families. Only a few of you are aware of my sister-in-law Kristan Searford’s story of faith and perseverance, so please indulge me for 5 minutes so I can share it with all of you now. Kristan is an incredible mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend! On the Sunday before this past Thanksgiving, Kristan stayed home from church with flu-like symptoms while her husband Brook brought the 5 kids to church (yes five). When he returned home, she was unconscious and turning blue; she had aspirated and experienced respiratory failure. She was rushed by ambulance to Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, where she became septic (major blood infection) and within hours her organs starting shutting down. Brook was told to say his goodbyes on several occasions over the next 72 hours. Kristan’s doctors started dialysis for her kidneys, and did everything possible to save her life, which included intense blood pressure medication. The medications that kept her core organs alive, did not allow proper blood and oxygen to reach her secondary and tertiary arteries and veins. The doctors knew this was a risk, but also knew it was a risk worth taking to save her life. Thus, nearly 60 days later, on January 30th her hands and left foot had to be amputated. The toes on her right foot and part of her remaining heel were also lost. Her life was saved in essence, at the expense of her hands and feet. By the grace of God, Kristan returned home and was reunited with her family on February 27th. Now that she is home, her journey of recovery and physical and occupational therapy have really just begun. She is learning to use basic prosthetic devices, and is determined to learn how to take care of herself and her five children again. Along with medical bills from the past three months, the Seafords will need to cover the costs of extended care (for both the children and Kristan) at home. We anticipate prosthetics to also be an ongoing expense as Kristans needs evolve. Just one prosthetic hand can cost between $40,000 and $125,000. Family, friends and others in the Charlotte area know about her struggles and have been following her progress on Caring Bridge, a community website that is designed to bring folks together during a health crisis. We have really appreciated all of the prayers and caring sentiments on the site and it has helped us all to stay grounded in faith during these trying days. The ripple effect is so powerful! Many have asked what more they can do, and after the gentle prodding of friends, we have started a fundraiser. Some of you have also asked, so I wanted to let you know about the fundraiser website. It is called “See Kristan Run!” and can be found here - youcaring/medical-fundraiser/see-kristan-run/149590. If this story moves you, I hope you will feel inclined to share it with others as well. Please do not feel any obligation to donate, but we would never turn down your support in any capacity so thanks for letting me share. To read more about Kristans journey, you can visit caringbridge.org/visit/kristanseaford. You can read others’ notes and even leave your own. Thanks for reading, and I truly hope you are as blessed as we have been to have the love and support of family, friends and community during your times of need. In Hoc, Steve (and Brittany) Alfaro
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 23:53:36 +0000
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