Aunt Kathy's Journel

Tuesday, March 9th 2004
Christina had at 1:30 doctor appointment with the surgeon who did her G Tube Surgery. I am normally always running late when it comes to getting out of the house on time. Between remembering the backpack, inverter, pulse oxygen machine and suction machine..oh yes, and of course Christina herself it seems normal to run late. I got everything into the van, hooked up, turned on and set for me to bring Christina out. Before I disconnected her from the pulse oxygen machine in the house she was at 97. Actually, all morning her numbers were 96-98. I carried her out in her Disney Princess fleece blanket and put her into the car seat. I got her all secured in and put her neck bobby under her chin.

When I re-connected her to the pulse oxygen machine she was at 91-92. I suctioned out her mouth and nose and got some yuckie thick stuff out. Her numbers came up to 96-97. They stayed there for a few seconds and I went to go lock up the house.

I got back into the van and Christina was still at 97. I backed out of the driveway, turning and started to pull forward when the pulse oxygen machine alarms went off. I keep it on the front seat, so when I drive I can just glance over to see the numbers. Her Oxygen level was at 30 and her heart rate was at 30 and dropping. I couldn't get out of my seat belt fast enough to jump through the seats to the back of the van. Christina was already blue, purple and unconcious. It seemed, once again, that I couldn't move my fingers and hands fast enough to get her out of the car seat. First the buckle, next the middle harness, then lift the bar over her head. It seemed slow motion, even now as I think back to it.

As I was lifting her heavy, unconscious body out of the car seat I glanced at the numbers on my front seat. Heart rate 20, oxygen level 16, 14, 17, 20, 14.....

I went into a kneeling position and put Christina over my legs, tummy down and started to do Chest Physical Therapy while grabbing the suction machine. The one type of tip that was on it is called a "yaunker" which, if you think of a hard plastic straw with a semi bend tip, you'd know what I was talking about. Her jaws seemed to be locked, I couldn't open her mouth enough to get it in to suction anything out. I did the CPT's with one hand with I grabbed the other tip (think of a coffee stirrer that is soft plastic and about a foot long). I was able to snake that into her mouth and get out more thick yuckies. Her eyes never opened, so I don't know if they were in the same position (one dilated one pin pointed) like the other episodes.

I don't know how long it took for her to come back. Her heart rate slowly started climbing and her oxygen saturation level started to climb. She leveled out her oxygen at 94 and heart rate of 120 when she opened her eyes and looked at me then they rolled back again. I kept calling her name, she was trying to make her normal little "huh" noise. When I said her name she would focus on me then let her eyes roll back again. A few minutes later her oxygen sats were at 97 and her heart rate at 150. As she came to with a more alert look she turned beat red and started to cry with her little chin quivering. Her oxygen level stayed at 97 but her heart rate went all the way up to 200-202. She was obviously aware and scared about the episode that just happened. It took me a few more minutes to calm her down, continue suctioning her from the extra secretions. After a few minutes of just sitting and talking to her and calming her down, I carried her into the house. I was not going to leave her alone for a minute. I put her on the "Her Sofa" and made sure she was doing OK before I ran out to the van to get the Pulse oxygen machine. I ran out, got it unhooked it, brought it back in, hooked it up and she was at 97 oxygen and 150 heart rate. She was tired....very tired and feel asleep soon after being in the house. Right now, 2 hours after the episode, she's still asleep and all levels are high.

 

CHRISTINA NICOLE SLACK GAINED HER WINGS
MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2004

Aunt Kathy's Last Journal Entry

Tuesday, March 16, 2004 1 AM

I keep sitting here looking at the keys and not knowing how to put it into words other then...."We lost our Christina tonight, she gained her wings" which is the truth.

She knew it was time. Doddie, Scott and I knew it was time also. She wanted to make sure those pictures were taken, for US to have. And she wanted to be home with her family when her time came. Doddie and I just got home from getting her and Brian's Easter Pictures done at JcPenney's in the mall. She did have a rough time during the pictures that she went unconscious on us. We think, no, we know, it was neurological related...definitely another seizure episode, we now ponder if it was also cardiac the whole time, with each "episode" did her heart grow weaker? We will never know the answer to that now. With the episode at Penney's she came back within a few minutes, she just seemed tired. We got her back into the van and had a good trip home other then her heart rate starting to elevate into the 190's.

When we got in the house her heart rate went up into the 200's, but then came back into the 180-190's. She started to feel really hot and her eyes had such a wide-scared look in them. Her heart rate went back up into the 200's for a few minutes, and then she started to drop very fast, very quick in oxygen saturation levels and heart rate. I had her on my lap, faced down with her head to the side facing Doddie when she said "She isn't breathing". I flipped her back over, got her on the floor and did CPR while Scott called 911. To me it seemed like an hour until they got to the house, but I know it was really within a matter of 10-15 minutes. The three of us knew she was gone even before the EMT people arrived. But we got out of their way and let them do there jobs. They kept her in the living room for what seemed like forever, but never got a pulse. They bagged her and I went with her in the ambulance while Doddie and Scott got Brian situated at a neighbors house. Sad to say, even Brian knew he had lost his baby sister, even though he was kept out of the living room and was in his bedroom while the paramedics did all they could. At the hospital, there was a team of at least 30-35 people...who all went to work as soon as they brought her in. The doctor explained all the meds administered, how long she was down from the time of the call (which I added about 10-15 minutes to that when I knew she flat lined) and then after another 10 minutes he called it. It was official...our angel DID already have her wings. My personal promise, one thing I personally wanted to do, was to be by her side every single moment until "I was told" she "WAS Gone". And I was able to do that....every step of the way...even when they asked me to leave the room. I told them it would never happen. Doddie and Scott arrived about 15 minutes after they pronounced her, and got the news from the doctor. The rest of the night has been a blur. Doddie is resting, and Scott is about to lay down himself. I don't expect any sleep in the house for the next few days. Brian is taking it much better then expected, but what can you expect from a 10 year old who "had a feeling" his sister passed away right after she was taken away by ambulance.

Please have the Slack family in your thoughts and prayers.....it was the way it was supposed to be, with Mia (her best angel friend) and Scott's father taking her to a happier place to laugh, smile, run, walk and be with the butterflies!!!!