And, keeping it at the KHMH - our next story involving a teenaged patient has a much happier ending. Remember in January when we were reporting on all those worrying h1n1 cases? Well, we told you about a 14 year old who were in grave condition - possible from h1n1 - and had to be put into an induced coma. Well, he stayed under that for a month, but he survived! And today - still recovering - he went back to the KHMH to say thanks for saving his life. Monica Bodden was there:..
Monica Bodden reporting
13 year old Shimar Patnett accompanied his mother and uncle to the KHMH today to say thank you to the doctors and nurses at the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.
He brought along a cake for the medical team and lunch for everyone was on him. This is quite a gesture coming from this humble child who recently came out of a coma after 30 days.
Benjamin Rodas, Uncle of Shimar
"Shimar journey started January 13th where he was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia and a suspected case of N1H1 which he was tested for and came back negative. A couple days later his kidneys failed and a few days after that his gall bladder was infected and wasn't looking promising at all. He was induced for at least 4 weeks."
Monica Bodden
"During that time how did the family cope with that?"
Benjamin Rodas, Uncle of Shimar
"It was very difficult. We kept on praying and hoping that he would do better. It wasn't easy at all."
Monica Bodden
"I could just imagine because if I could recall around that time was the scare with the H1N1 and a young woman actually lost her life to that."
Benjamin Rodas, Uncle of Shimar
"That is true. It happened just a few weeks before Shimar was hospitalized and that's what scared the doctors, the symptoms were almost the same and that's why he was tested for the H1N1 virus."
Shimar spent 41 days in the ICU - His family recalls some of their darkest moments.
Benjamin Rodas, Uncle of Shimar
"The first darkest moment for me was when I brought him to the hospital. I didn't expect him to be that sick and had to be sedated and the again frightened with you hear H1N1 and what happen to the young lady just a week before. That was devastating."
Monica Bodden
"When you brought him you thought it was just a flu."
Benjamin Rodas, Uncle of Shimar
"Just a bad flu and then it turned out to be that bad. And then looking at him sedated and when his kidneys failed and he start swelling up, it brought tears to your eyes looking at him and wondering if he will get up from there and he did. And another case was when he was out of the sedation and was trying to talk, watching him fighting, trying to make it and he was thirsty and we couldn't do anything. We had to just leave it to the doctor and to the nurses."
Monica Bodden
"This might be a very difficult question: was at any point did you guys come together and say you know what we might lose Shimar?"
Benjamin Rodas, Uncle of Shimar
"We did. One experience with that for me as I was praying for Shimar one day in the room that he was in and I didn't realize I was praying so loud and tears was coming from my eyes and a lady passed by and says young man be careful what you pray for. I said I know exactly what I am praying for because I prayed and I gave Shimar to God and she says when you give Shimar to God, he could take him or he could leave him. I say you know what that's his will, so we kind of prepared ourselves for whatever was the outcome. But thank God he is here today with the help of the doctors here at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital."
And it was that team of doctors and nurses at the KHMH who gave Shimar's family hope - along with prayers and support from family and friends all over the world. After 30 days in an induced coma, he was awakened and rapidly began showing massive improvement. His uncle remembers a sentimental moment.
Benjamin Rodas, Uncle of Shimar
"With the voice, the talking when they remove the trake, he was scared not knowing what would happen and I remember the nurse remove the trake and she says say something and he says I love you uncle and the nurse says boy that's what you will say I love you uncle, you supposed to say I want ice cream and he says don't say that about my uncle nurse and that was very touching."
"Doctors went out and beyond the call of duty making sacrifices on top of sacrifices with Shimar. They updated up every step of the way. We were blown away because of the negativity coming out of the media sometimes, not because of you, but because of people and their experiences here. But we have a different experience, a very positive experience."
Sherlett Adolphus, Mother of Shimar
"A baby needs to do everything over; talk, take care of him - we had to help him to all of that. It was difficult but we made it through."
On February 23rd he was discharged from the KHMH. Today Shimar still has a ways to go when it comes to his health, but this young fighter is not letting anything get him down. Depending on the results of a few more medical examinations, the 13 year old boy plans on going back to school.
Shimar Patnett, Recovering
"Thank you."
Doctor's expect that the 14 year old will make a full recovery.
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