Hey Tommy...

“...I just saw another story on the news about meningococcal disease, and it made me wonder how your sister is doing? Hope she's still amazing everyone with her accomplishments and positive attitude! How 'bout an update?”

“You know, I was wondering about Kat recently too. How IS she doing, T? Such an amazing story she has. :o)”

“Thanks for asking. Here in Cali, in Folsom, two kids in the HS just died within a month of each other, so it's getting a lot of attention. We also believe Kat got it from swimming in Folsom lake, but it's impossible to be sure. For those who don't know, my little sister, seven months ago at 16, had the first two fingers of her right hand amputated, along with her left leg below the knee courtesy of bacterial meningitis.

She recently wrote an article about the disease for her school newspaper, and thanked REI for their donation of hiking poles. Thanks again to whomever tipped them off. We tried a winter hike before Christmas, but it was a bust--we had to walk through 1/4 mile of powder to get to the packed snow of the trail head, and by then she had stumbled so many times from not knowing where the ground was we opted to head back and try it another time.

But...Kat doesn't stay down for very long. You're not going to believe this, but she had to go to school early yesterday (Fri) to teach DANCE lessons. She's a very athletic girl, and was the only one in her class who knew the basics of the rhumba, salsa, tango, etc.

She's on her third leg already; this one has an ankle. Her first two had to be static to give her more support, and the first ankle was a failure because although they used the lightest adult ankle, she wasn't heavy enough to activate the spring mechanism (she's never weighed 100lbs in her life). Now she has a kid ankle and adjusted her school schedule to resume therapy at Shriner's hospital, to help her walk/run/whatever more normally. BTW, if anyone is looking for a good charity to donate to, Shriner's Childrens' Hospital is 100% free to the patients, and relys on donations.

Blatent plug.

Anyway, I'll scan in her senior picture and add a link so you can see how beautiful she is :^)”

“Ok, here it is. Sorry I'm not HTML Boy:

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/tbutlertx?d&.flabel=fld1&.src=ph”

“Sounds like she still has a great attitude and is making steady progress. Good to hear!

There was yet another similar story in the local news yesterday. A 19 year old woman at the University of Oregon died Friday from this disease. She was only admitted to the hospital the day before. From what I've heard it normally strikes kids under five. For older teens to get it is fairly rare, but it obviously does happen. Thankfully Kat's experience has a much happier ending.

Thanks for the update. Let us know how that next hike goes.”

“Some types of meningitis can rip through college dorms and military boot camps. Hard to diagnose early, develops rapidly and can be devastating or fatal.


Tommy, the person in your description is awesome! Make sure she knows it.”

“Thanks, I will! And actually, it seems to strike teens the hardest. It's just like the flu, but with swollen joints and blotches on the skin. If you see those symptoms you have less than 10 hours to get treatment. Hopefully none of you will ever know what the heck I'm talking about.

Oh, BTW, did I mention she's on the honor roll? Whadda kid!”

“Jus me...selflessly keeping the thread alive so AmyG can get an answer to her question.”

“tommy, this is the first time I am hearing about your sister. I'm speechless, except to say I'm sorry to hear that this disease somehow found her.”

“My trail prayers go out to her. I hope she keeps her head up because this world is full of promise.”

“Tommy, give her our best from the Northwoods. She's an inspiration for this lazy old dog (apologies Sarabelle). Thanks for the tip on the Shriners. It always helps to know who's legit out there, really doing the good work.”

“I hadn't heard this story before. Truly inspirational; thank you for sharing.

Concerning Shriner's Hospital -- each year, Smart Money magazine (a publication of the Wall Street Journal) rates the biggest charities in the country on their effectiveness. In the catagory of Medicine and Health Care, Shriner's was #1 on the list -- highest percentage of total budget going to programs, lowest percentage of funds raised being spent on fund-raising. They are truly one of the best and most effective charities out there, so dig deep and give without hesitation.”

“Thanks for the info explorer. I didn't realize they were so well organized. But it truely is amazing how much they do for the kids and families. They'll even provide her with makup til she's 21 to cover up the spots on her skin from the disease (you won't find said spots on her senior pic due to said makeup). Plus therapy, titanium legs...etc. Amazing place.

Yes, I told her her titanium makes her a member of the ultralighter crowd.”

“Thanks for the update, Tommy...she truly is a beautiful person.

:o)”

“My nephew was selected two years ago to play in the state shriners football game. They select the best players in the state for an allstar football game and I believe that they make some good money on the tickets, so if you get a chance, enjoy a high school football game by the shriners. Any way my nephew is a very gifted athlete who plays college football now and say's that his most humbling time in life was when he visited the shriners hospital. For him to be humbled it must be truely amazing.”