An Update on Katie and the Road Ahead

Many have asked for an update on how Katie is doing. In the past, I have avoided updates like this on my blog, but I thought it would be helpful. This will not be a normal rhythm moving forward.

Katie McLain and The Incident

It has been over two weeks since my wife, Katie McLain, suffered a seizure and fall that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, including a fractured skull, temporal bone, bleeding and bruising on her brain, a small subdural hematoma, facial nerve palsy, and quite a few injuries to her ear. It was scary. Overall, we are grateful it was not worse. That doesn’t mean we don’t realize the severity of her condition.

Sadly, all of this happened right before her birthday. On September 22, Katie will join me in the next decade of her life. We are hoping to find ways to make her birthday both special and a distraction from this moment.

The prayers, care, gifts, and help we have received are humbling.

The Journey Ahead

We have had several doctor appointments since our discharge. Many more are ahead. The bleeding in her brain has decreased; her skull is healing; her palsy, swelling, and headaches are there but getting better. She still runs low on energy, and that is to be expected after a Traumatic Brain Injury.

She is talking much more normally now, but we still notice that some things occasionally go missing—phone numbers, Social Security numbers, details, and other pieces of information she would normally remember. Emotionally, this has also been an up-and-down journey for her (and our kids) as she processes everything that has happened. Our hope is for full restoration.

An Ongoing Wrestling

Katie has lived with epilepsy since 2011, though not at this level. It started after the birth of our oldest daughter. Now, one of the major questions we still need to answer is why she is now experiencing so many more breakthrough seizures despite being on medication. What is triggering this or bringing it on? On September 25, we begin a new chapter at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, an accredited Level 4 epilepsy center in Philadelphia. We hope this is where we begin to find answers and determine the next steps toward getting these seizures under control.

For now, Katie is focused on healing from the traumatic brain injury—doing what she can, as she can, and gradually getting stronger each day. She continues to experience significant fatigue, headaches, hearing changes, and facial weakness, but we expect these things to continue improving as her recovery progresses. She is following her doctor’s advice and waiting for answers in Philadelphia.

The Days Ahead for Katie McLain

Right now, the biggest challenge is balancing doing enough to regain strength with not doing too much too quickly. We’re being careful not to exhaust her physically or mentally or risk another injury. Because the seizures remain unpredictable, we’re also making sure she is in safe environments where she can be protected if another breakthrough seizure occurs.

She is making progress, and we’re taking it one day at a time. Katie still can’t work while she heals. If you are praying, she has been approved for FMLA from her job, but we’re currently pushing for short-term disability and/or workers’ compensation to help with the bills and the extended time she’ll be away from work.

Thank You

Thank you for your prayers, gifts, support, care, and meals. The Meal Train and GoFundMe have been overwhelmingly helpful in this season.

Katie’s parents are coming in on September 25, the same day we go to Philadelphia, to spend time with her during her recovery.

Again, thank you so much to everyone who has cared.

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If this post resonated, subscribe for future reflections, share it with a friend, or leave a comment. You can learn more about his journey to recover a rooted Christian way of life through the Lord’s Prayer, ancient habits, leading a quiet life, and simple Jesus communities online at JeffMcLain.com, the Lead a Quiet Life blog on Patheos, or the Discovering God Podcast.