Stories of Healing & Inspiration
Mikayla George - A Little Girl With a Huge Heart
Mikayla George celebrates two birthdays: her original birthday in the fall, and, now, a bonus birthday in the spring. The bonus birthday came about last year when Mikayla almost died. A heart transplant at LDS Hospital gave Mikayla a second chance at life.
It began during the softball season. Mikayla started feeling tired and felt pain in her chest. Over time, the symptoms worsened. It was clear that something was seriously wrong and she was taken to LDS Hospital. There, her doctors discovered Mikayla's heart was failing. At age ten she was rapidly dying of heart disease.
With her heart functioning at less than 10 percent of its capacity, the decision was made to keep Mikayla alive by implanting a bi-ventricular assist device (Bi-VAD) until a donor heart became available. Mikayla became the youngest person in the Intermountain area to receive an artificial heart. The severity of Mikayla's condition weighed heavily on Traci, her mother, that first night in the hospital: "I never thought I'd take my daughter home."
But Mikayla's condition stabilized on the Bi-VAD until a donor heart became available. Mikayla received her new heart on May 30, again setting a record at LDS Hospital, this time as the hospital's youngest transplant patient. Though her recovery hasn't been easy, Mikayla's recuperation was relatively complication-free. So far she has shown no signs of organ rejection, which is a common problem for transplant patients.
Mikayla is now back in the fifth grade at Hawthorne Elementary School. She's also taking horse-riding lessons. She's even thinking of taking up softball again. In fact, Mikayla's doing so well now that her doctors have given her a "thumbs-up" for a family trip to Florida, just in time to celebrate the one-year anniversary of receiving her new heart. It's a bonus birthday celebration she and her family are grateful for and will long remember.
"I don't know how to explain how I feel," Mikayla tearfully said. "Those doctors are amazing. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here." Contributions to the Deseret Foundation in support of critical medical research continue to result in saving lives. "If it weren't for very generous donations," Traci echoes, "my little girl wouldn't be here."
Ed Allen - Structural Engineer Rebuilds
Ed Allen Clearly remembers that day in the restaurant in early 1999. He was eating his favorite Chinese meal when suddenly he found himself unable to swallow his food. Though able to breathe, his acute discomfort forced him to excuse himself from the table. In the restroom, he finally managed, with some difficulty, to clear the food from his esophagus.
He immediately contacted his doctor who ordered an endoscipic exam of his esophagus. Endoscopy revealed several esophageal lesions. Biopsies were taken and from these it was determined that Ed had esophageal cancer. The cancer was staged at IIA, meaning that the malignancy was in the wall of the esophagus, but hadn't gone all the way through the wall. Fortunately, it had not spread to the lymph nodes.
Ed's doctor "referred me to the right surgeon, Dr. Michael Collins," for further treatment. In a complex procedure lasting more than six hours, Dr. Collins removed the cancerous section of the esophagus. Ed spent 12 days in LDS Hospital before returning home to complete his recovery.
"The care I received at the hospital was excellent," Ed said. "I've had some fine experiences since that time because of the great medical treatment I received that helped me survive."
Ed and his wife, Sarah, have enjoyed traveling, gardening and spending time with their children, grandchildren and a growing number of great-grandchildren. Shortly after Ed's surgery, he and Sarah were asked to work on the Nauvoo Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Illinois. "It was wonderful work," said Ed, a structural engineer by profession. "I could feel myself getting stronger as the building got taller."
Ed lives in gratitude every day. "I can't express the degree of pleasure I've experienced in my life because of the help of Dr. Collins and my other physicians. Along with my wife, many people have given me nearly seven more marvelous years of living due to their fine work."
Gary McKellar - Local Reporter Rebounds
One morning in February 2004, Gary and three of his coworker from The Deseret Morning News went out for coffee. Walking down the sidewalk, they were almost to their destination when an out-of-control SUV jumped the curb and slammed into Gary and one of his colleagues. They were both pinned at the upper legs against a solid wall by the still-revving vehicle. A quick thinking co-worker managed to back the vehicle off them and they crumpled to the sidewalk. "When it very first happened I saw my leg all twisted around and the bone sticking out. I knew it was serious enough." And he knew his injuries were life threatening.
Gary forced himself to remain conscious. "I remember the whole thing as it happened. I remember them picking me up and putting me in the ambulance and taking me to the hospital. As soon as they pulled me out of the ambulance, some said, 'Welcome to LDS Hospital Emergency.'"
Once inside LDS Hospital the pace of activity increase, and so did Gary's pain. He continued to focus on staying awake until he was taken to surgery and administered anesthesia. The next thing he remembered is waking up to see his wife, Kim. He remembered thinking that, first and foremost, he'd survived the accident.
He was still uncertain about the condition of his reconstructed leg, however, until the vascular surgeon, using Doppler readings to measure the blood flow in his leg, pronounced "everything looked good." That was a turning point for Gary. "That really made me feel pretty optimistic about the whole thing right then. I thought if everyone seems happy with the way things worked out, then that meant my leg could be saved too."
Gary stayed in the hospital for nearly a month before being discharged. During that time he had additional surgery to further stabilize the wounded area, and spent some time in the Rehabilitation Center learning to use crutches and working the muscles in his leg again. When he left the hospital his leg was equipped with an external fixator: a metal frame on the outside of his leg held in place with a half dozen large screws.
Once home, Gary's treatment continued on with daily trips for hyperbaric therapy and wound care. In June the external fixator was removed and he seemed to be on his way to recovery. But the trauma resulting from the accident wasn't over with yet. In April and July infections developed in Gary's leg, requiring hospitalization and additional surgeries. He was sick, discouraged, and in pain.
Gary didn't give up however. "I had a lot of confidence in my doctors. They decided they were going to put a stainless steel rod in my leg to make my bone stable." They also left the wound open so it could drain, reducing the chance of another infection. Gary returned home once again, but continued with daily hyperbaric treatment and IV antibiotics from Home Health Care until early October.
He's had a total of eight surgeries now, including the most recent surgery (which doctors are hopeful will be his last) to stabilize his knee. His thigh wound has closed completely and soon he'll start physical therapy. Until then he does as much as he can and he is seeing progress. "I'm amazed when I look at my leg right now and think about what it looked like at the time of the accident. Now I can move my leg and I can see and feel the muscles moving inside. I think: Wow! It's healing up. It's a great feeling."
"We're so grateful to everybody for their help," Kim said, "our neighbors, friends, employers, and especially the people at LDS Hospital. They've been wonderful. I think we've seen every aspect of the hospital together. Not only do they provide medical care, but everyone – the nurses, doctors, technicians – have the ability to treat patients and their families emotionally, too. We were not just a number, which is important when you're making difficult transitions."