Both lungs collapsed, she is on life support
Read more: Local, Health, Community, Swineflu, H1n1, Dr, Eid, Mikewilliams, Kayla Kammrad, Worried, Canon City, Penrose Hospital, Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A 22-year-old Canon City woman has been hit hard with the swine flu. The family says the woman has no underlying conditions and up until now was always very healthy.
Kayla Kammrad now fights for her life at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs.
Doctors say she is in extremely critical condition on life support systems. They say during the last couple of days both of her lungs collapsed. And for seven minutes Monday night Kammrad did not have a heartbeat.
Kammrad's doctor says her case is an example of a rising number of perfectly healthy young people coming down with life-threatening cases of the swine flu. He says it's a trend that has him worried.
"She is not doing very well. Two days ago her right lung collapsed. I had to rush and put a test tube [in]. Last night her other lung collapsed -- my partner came and put a chest tube...she might have suffered brain damage. We won't know that until time goes by," Dr. Alan Eid said.
"There is no doubt that she is fighting .She is fighting for her life. It's very serious. It's very critical. This will probably be the fight of her life,” said Kammrad's father, Mike Williams.
Kammrad is a wife and mother of two boys. Her husband was fighting in Iraq when he got word that his wife was gravely ill with the swine flu. Now he and Kammrad's father are at her bedside hoping for a miracle.
"I can't reach in there and I can't pull my daughter out of a situation. I've always been able to pull her out -- this is beyond me," said Williams.
Eid says he is seeing more and more young healthy adults suffering with severe cases of swine flu.
"Very honestly -- and I do not want to scare people -- I am very concerned. This is a disease that is very brutal," said Eid.
And he says doctors are using everything they have but many times it's still not enough.
"We are using desperate measures and yet those patients are not surviving. They are dying," said Eid.
Something Kammrad's family may still have to face.
"Scared to death. I'm scared to death. Parents aren’t supposed to be there watching their children being this sick," said Williams.
Eid says he doesn’t want to scare the public and emphasizes that most cases of H1N1 will be mild. But he says if you do have high fever and shortness of breath get checked by a doctor right away. It could be a sign your flu is getting much worse.
Raw Interview Video: click here to hear the complete unedited interview with Dr. Alan Eid about the real danger and seriousness of swine flu.
