Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 1, 1992 TAG: 9201010035
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: Charles Hite
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
NAMES IN '91
A few months ago, Dr. Hugh Craft had serious doubts that 13-year-old
Krissy Young would live.
A series of severe brain seizures lasting several hours had left the
Franklin County youngster in a coma. She did not respond to pain and was
unable to breathe without the aid of a machine.
As director of the pediatric intensive care unit at Community Hospital,
Craft's job was to make sure Krissy's other systems stayed healthy and hope
the brain would recover over time.
Krissy left in June for a children's rehabilitation center at the
University of Virginia. She could blink her eyes and nod her head in response
to family members, and she no longer needed a respirator to breathe for her.
But she was unable to move her limbs or talk and was still dependent on others
for her care.
When Krissy, now 14, visited Craft a few weeks ago, his first thought was
"unbelievable." Krissy was sitting in a wheelchair, cracking jokes and
updating Craft on her progress.
She rejoined her eighth-grade classmates at Benjamin Franklin Middle School
in November, just a few days after leaving UVa. Around the house she abandons
the wheelchair and uses a special cane to get around. She still has some
paralysis on her left side and difficulty with short-term memory, but she's
improving day by day.
"It's a testimony to why we don't give up with many patients - particularly
children - who are at death's door," Craft says. "She's got a whole life ahead
of her now, a very productive life."
Keywords:
YEAR 1991