Goodrich- Kevin Eikey owes much to an unknown number of people he has never met, but who saved his life? one pint of blood at a time.
And though Kevin, 43, is unable to donate blood himself to replenish the supply due to the blood thinners he’s on, he and wife Lisa, 46, are on a mission to deliver a simple yet profound message to others: Give blood; Give life.
It is a message of which the Goodrich couple gained a deep understanding on Sept. 27, when Kevin awoke to a nightmare.
‘I woke up and I was hemorrhaging internally,? says Kevin, a physical therapist. ‘There was no pain, I just started bleeding.?
This new horror came little more than a month after Lisa, a teacher, had come out of her own battle for health with cancer. It was a story she shared with The Citizen last year (‘I will be able to step back into the world?; May 22), and one which had just seen a happy ending with the completion of her radiation treatment on Aug. 4.
Now, after nearly a year of her husband being the one to look after an ailing Lisa, she found their roles reversing. She watched in alarm as her husband was first rushed away in an ambulance to Genesys Regional Medical Center, then transported by helicopter to Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit.
Kevin was eventually diagnosed with Hepatic Portal Vein Hypertension.
According to www.WebMD.com, ‘Portal hypertension is an increase in the blood pressure within a system of veins called the portal venous system. Normally, the veins come from the stomach, intestine, spleen and pancreas, merge into the portal vein, which then branches into smaller vessels and travels through the liver. If the vessels in the liver are blocked, it is hard for the blood to flow, causing high pressure in the portal system.
When the pressure becomes too high, the blood backs up and finds other ways to flow back to the heart, where it is pumped to the lungs, where it gets rid of waste products and picks up oxygen. The blood can travel to the veins in the esophagus (esophageal varices), in the skin of the abdomen, and the veins of the rectum and anus (hemorrhoids) to get around the blockages in the liver.?
Kevin says he was told the disease is typically caused by cirrhosis or a genetic dysfunction, but in his case, the cause was unknown.
In retrospect, Kevin says he sees the signs that might have served as a warning about his condition, most noticeably, his inability to run as he had done for years. Having chalked it up to simply getting older, Kevin dismissed his fatigue. And though he recalls the painful feeling that would later prove to have been the clot that led to the hemorrhaging, doctors at the time didn’t recognize what they were seeing, so neither did Kevin.
Lisa says she recalls being in the hospital as Kevin’s ammonia levels rose and he slipped into a coma. He was in that state for two weeks, time during which Lisa could only hope for the best and pray all would be well, even as her husband received Last Rights.
Doctors told Lisa at the time that even if Kevin did wake up, it was unknown in what state her husband would return to her. Brain swelling from high ammonia levels had brought with it ominous possibilities, including Kevin living out the remainder of his days as a paraplegic.
The couple’s children, Goodrich High School sophomore Ben, 16, and Oaktree Elementary School fourth grader Erik, 10, were told to keep to their routine as much as possible, having already endured a year of worry for their mother. The boys went to school throughout the ordeal, and as she was throughout her battle with cancer, Lisa was honest about their father’s condition.
On Oct. 12, Kevin awoke from his coma. While he said he remembers nothing of what happened during his two weeks in the coma, Kevin recalls being surprised by how much of her hair his still recovering wife had regrown, and that it was curly.
The road to recovery was slow for Kevin, involving physical, occupational and speech therapy.
‘He’s worked so hard,? says Lisa. ‘Every time in there, he tried so hard.?
Throughout both Lisa’s cancer and Kevin’s illness, the couple say the support given to them by St. Mark Catholic Church in Goodrich has been invaluable.
And though Kevin returned to his former self in many ways, he said his perspective on life is forever altered. Even the smallest moments can hold within them infinite meaning to the man who feels he’s been granted a new lease on life. Moreover, risks which once seemed overwhelming and terrifying now seem surmountable.
‘You’re just permanently changed,? says Kevin. ‘I look at risk differently now. If there’s anything you truly, passionately want to do, don’t put it off. Just do it.? Kevin adds the event has expanded his faith and deepened his appreciation of others.
Each half of the couple has had their own brush with death, and say they feel more deeply connected for it. Both are quick to emphasize the importance of health, and that though things may seem bleak in life, a ‘bad day? can be redefined in one terrifying instant. The Eikeys say they hope others can be thankful for each breath that comes easily and each moment that is without pain. ‘If you have your health, you have most of what you need,? says Kevin.
Kevin was able to return home before Thanksgiving.
For Lisa, many dates have become significant: Aug. 4, the last day of her radiation treatment; Sept. 27, the day Kevin hemorrhaged; Oct. 12, the day Kevin woke up, and perhaps best of all, Nov. 5, the first time since he was admitted into the hospital that Lisa was able to give Kevin a hug with both of them standing.
And yet, one more date looms importantly in the minds of the Eikeys? Feb.13. That’s the day St. Mark Church is hosting a blood drive. During his stay at the hospital, Kevin needed more than 20 pints of blood. For the Eikeys, the drive is an opportunity to give back, even though neither one can donate.
‘We can’t give blood, but we can tell our story and encourage others,? said Lisa. ? If (someone) can give blood, you never know when you’re going to save someone’s life. If at all possible, you need to give that gift.?
Karen Thornton, parish nurse at St. Mark, agrees.
‘It’s important for people to give blood because the Red Cross usually only has a two-day supply? sometimes they get down to only a few hours of supply. When blood is needed, it’s needed right away. A lot of times people think that ‘well, if my relative needs blood, I’ll give it then,? but it doesn’t work that way,? says Thornton. ‘It takes 48 hours to process the blood once it’s given, and when people need blood it’s usually an emergency.?
‘Just as people have a right to expect blood to be there when they need it, they have a responsibility to give blood,? says Thornton.
While 2007 has yet to play out, the Eikeys remain optimistic this year will be a bit quieter for their family than the last.
‘I stayed awake to see ?07 come through,? says Lisa. ‘We said ‘good-bye!? to ?06.?
‘It’s going to be a better year,? agrees Kevin, before adding with a laugh, ‘it has to be.?