Re: About Kimber

From: Susan Schimka <scubasue32@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: June 22, 2006 1:13:03 AM PDT
To: Chad Anderson <chad@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [taopitek] (unknown)
Reply-To: taopitek@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Girls and Guys,

Yes, this is me Kimber. With the help of my dear
friend Sue Schimka I am putting out this statement for
you all. First let me thank you all for all the
prayers and good wishes you have been sending my way.
I sure do need it. In the past you know I have always
been very forthcoming about things in my life both
good and bad and sometimes even with the best of
intentions people mix things up and get the wrong
message. So I hope with this note I can set some
things straight for you all and help ease your minds
and questions.

On June 3rd I was diving off the Lois Ann on the wreck
of the Hogan. It was a great day with lots of fun
people on board. We had not been to the Hogan in a
very long time and it was just great to be out
there. For the 4th we were to go to the Yukon to place
a plaque on the wreck in memory of our friend Steve
Donathan who died last year. Anyway, I had done a
good first dive and then with a nice
surface interval did a second dive. I had plenty of
gas, visibility was very good and everyone underwater
was in clear contact and communication with
each-other. I got a chance to look around and have a
"fun dive" I remember seeing Joel cruise by me on his
"war pony" as I was heading along the trail line that
Tyler left on the bottom back to the shot line. We
exchanged hand signals and he told me he was doing a
sweep of the wreck to make sure everyone was off it.

I made my ascent with the rest of the group and
completed my stops, after I completed my last deco
stop, I indicated to one of the other divers that I
was cold, and so I surfaced. I surfaced and I went to
the back of the boat and asked them to help me get out
of my gear because I didn't feel well. I remember
being on the police boat and Eric telling me to hang
on. I have no recollection of anything after that
until I was taken off the respirator last week.

They tell me it was pretty frightening dealing with
me. On the deck of the boat Joel got the entire crew
organized and everyone back on board and off the site
in record time, something like 5 minutes or
so. Bob and Eric worked on me keeping me alive, with
oxygen and CPR and monitoring my vitals as best as
possible. Capt Carl and Joel dealt with getting the
evacuation done. (I had been taught about evacuations
but never actually did one myself, I can only imagine
how hard it was for all these people to be taking care
of me during this time.) They tell me that when the
helicopter showed up we were just too close to shore
and I was too critical to make good use of it so I was
transferred to the SD Fire rescue boat and Joel went
with me with all the info to the ambulance and the
hospital. I recall them telling me it was something
like an hour and 15 minutes. That's Pink
Speed Time in my book! It took Joel at the hospital a
few hours to get a hold of my Mom who then stepped in
with the hospital. I am sure it was not easy for any
of her. It sure wasn't easy for me either!

I understand that on the boat deck I had something
like 6 or 7 seizures, a pulse rate of 60 or less, and
then I had few more seizures in the SD boat and more
in the ambulance on the way to the
hospital. Once in the ER they worked on me hard,
getting me intubated, catheterized, and tried to get
me stable enough for treatments. I've had CT scans,
EEGs, EKGs, Hyperbaric treatments and more tests than
I can even recall. At one point they tell me I was
on a dialysis machine to help my kidneys process and
reduce the swelling of my body and brain.

I know you have all been screaming for information and
you may have beaten up some of the crew and people on
board that day for not putting information out about
me. Guys, I was in CRITICAL condition.
They were not sure exactly what was wrong with me or
if I was going to live or die or what state I would be
in if I did live. My mother who I love so much, told
Joel to keep a lid on this until such time as
information needed to go out. She did not know what
she had on her hands. She felt that she needed to
protect my children from finding out about things
they did not need to know. Only very close people were
kept in the loop on my moment-to-moment changes,
progress, and setbacks. It's been hard for
all of them watching and hearing about me and I love
them all. Finally after a few days they let Joel put
out a single statement about me but that was it, and
that is just fine with me. Mom's can be
overprotective sometimes and I am sure she was just
scared and wanting to protect me and my children.

So where we are at now is this. They tell me I had an
arterial gas embolism, (AGE). We don't exactly know
why yet, they will do some more tests
later after the swelling is all gone. Survival rate of
a gas embolism is pretty low, I seem to be a lucky
case. The care that I have been getting has been
great. The hospital (and you know how much
I don't like those) have been caring for me round the
clock. Last week after they took me off the
respirator, no one was sure if I
would wake up but I did. Amazing what Pink Power can
do !

They finally moved me yesterday to a new facility
closer to my home where I started rehabilitation
today. I don't know how long it will
take for me to get out of this place but for now it
has to turn into my home. I'm awake, I can talk and
laugh and cry, I can see my children, my mom, my aunt,
and my friends who come by. But, I get tired easily,
I am on a lot of medications, I can't hold a phone
yet, or type, feed myself, or even go to the bathroom
myself. I can move my hands a bit and grip things,
but not well, and I can move my right leg, and with
some help I have been able to stand and can sit up by
myself. I tried to get out of bed the other night but
that did not work too well. I get frustrated that the
things I want to do I just
can't. I hope to do it in some time. Little steps
each day, but i'm tough and i'm gonna do it, but I am
scared. Some of you know I train horses, so for now
I'm just like a little horse learning how to
take little steps one at a time.

My dear friend's Sue and TJ have been visting me and
staying with me as often as they can and my Mom calls
them my "Sisters" now. I'm glad I have them so close
and available to me. I know it's a burden
for them as they have their own lives and families as
well. I'm glad to have everyone who has come to help.
I know my friend Tracy has set up a Recovery Fund
website for me and my kids and I'm grateful
for that, all your help is greatly appreciated, and
the guys who run the Scuba Board and Deco Stop have
been handling all the inquiries as
best as possible. I'm sorry that you all kinda felt
that there was a whitewash being put on this, there
wasn't, what they all did about information is just
fine with me. At this time I just want to get
better. The crew, Capt Carl, Joel, Bob, Eric, Chad,
Tyler, and all the others saved me. I am alive today
because of everything they did and I love them all.
Whatever they did and however they did it was
what allows me to be alive today. You all need to know
that they saved my life! My Mom, My Aunt, Sue, TJ and
deal with me on a daily basis and I love them all too.
I can only imagine how hard
it's been for all of them these past few weeks. But
they are all tough too and I know they will all be
fine as well.

So in the meantime I am going to get working on
getting better. As I have more progress reports Sue
will put them out for me. She will cross post them to
the web boards and to the website that Tracy set
up. http://www.tekdivegirl.org Once I am able to use
my hands again and type I will scream for my laptop
and get talking with you all again. Please continue
with your prayers for me. I need them. And I
do greatly appreciate all you are doing with the
recovery fund, that's really kind of you all to chip
in there.

Life is fragile, life is precious. My kids need me to
get better and come home so that's my focus now. If
you want to get a message to me just send it to Sue
and she will print it out and read it to me
but don't expect her to be my secretary and send
replies. I need her help for other things now.

Love to you all.

Kimber

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