Tayla in intensive care by Derek Kosbab (2007)
In 2007, soon after the car crash that left Tayla injured and unconscious, my brother Michael emailed a photograph of her in hospital.
On 2 December 2008 I received the following email from Mick.
A Moment in Time
It should have been an exciting day. After some 13 years working for a couple of different bosses. I was starting my own Handyman business. Having said my goodbyes at the Hardware store was driving home via Mudjimba to give someone a quote for a small renovation.
Having answered my mobile using hands free but could barely hear my youngest daughter Tiffany, as she explained that she had been in a car accident. One granddaughter, Tayla, had been sent off in an ambulance to Caboolture Hospital. Another granddaughter, Brodie with Tiffany were about to follow in another ambulance with minor injuries.
I headed straight home where I collected my wife after telling her of the accident and the few details that I knew. We went direct to Caboolture Hospital where we met up with Tiffany and Brodie in the Emergency Department.
Tayla had been seriously injured and was transferred by helicopter to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane before we arrived and we had no further details of her condition.
Tiffany had a head laceration and mild concussion. Brodie also had mild concussion and both were eventually released with instructions to go to the RCH and have Brodie admitted for observation.
We arrived at the RCH around 8 PM that night to find Tayla in Intensive care, in a coma, on a Ventilator to help her breathe and one very seriously ill little girl. I do not know what time we left the Hospital that night but we were back again the next morning to find Brodie in a General Ward for observation. Tiffany was with Tayla in Intensive care where she struggled to stay alive for the next few weeks. She eventually stabilised and after an 8-week stay, moved to a General ward. It would be 8 months before we were able to take her home again. However, she was not the same 10-year-old girl that we knew.
Most of the nurses very good. The problem being too many patients that each nurse had under their care. In addition, a few of the nurses obviously did not like their work as they had a very poor attitude. This meant that Tiffany spent as much as 16 hours a day ensuring that Tayla received the care and attention that she should receive.
Tayla suffered a severe Brain Injury, which has left her with Spastic Quadriplegia. Unable to speak or swallow and with very little head control. She has breathing difficulties. She had a Seizure, which is managed with medication. Tayla’s spine had started to curve slightly. (Scoloisis) Late in 2008, she had an operation to fuse the upper and lower vertebrae plus Rodding to prevent further curvature.
She can hear and understand everything spoken to her, but initially was unable to respond. After some months, she was able to look to the right to signal NO and look to the left to signal YES. Although not always accurate in the beginning as time went on it became more accurate. How excited we all were with this monumental step forwards. She is learning how to play basic Computer activities using a head operated button.
She received her Food through a tube intravenously for many months before she had a “PEG” fitted into her stomach, to which a feeding tube is attached and her Feeds are drip fed through this, as are her medications. On several occasions, a nurse would put the Feed up, connect it to the PIG, and walk off without checking the connection. Tiffany would arrive to find Tayla swimming in her bed with the Feed running out of the Drip line across her Tummy because it had been connected incorrectly. The bed would be soaked. On many occasions Tiffany would arrive to find Taylas Nappy Pad full, and on changing it, find that it had started to dry out, which meant it had been there for a long time. As Tayla had to be kept under constant supervision, with hourly observations noted, it was obvious this was not happening as often as it should. Fibreglass Leg and Arm splints were made for her and a regime of 4 hours on and 2 hours off started. It soon became obvious which nurses were competent and those not so. Schedules were out, Rub marks on the skin when not fitted properly or left on too long. The Rehabilitation Team would teach Tiffany how to fit them and Tiffany found herself instructing nurses in how to correctly fit them and writing up a schedule of when to fit and remove them. The same for various physical exercises that were scheduled by the team would be done by Tiffany as the Nurses were often too busy on other jobs or just did not know what and how to do them correctly.
Brodie was kept in the ward a few days before being allowed out. She spent quite a few weeks living at a nearby Lodge with her Mum and attending the Hospital school. In the New Year, she returned to the Sunshine coast where a Family friend looked after her and she could attend her local School. We tried to get some measure of normality into her life. Weekends were spent with her Mum and sister at the Hospital then retuning to home and school during the week. After a few months at the Lodge, Tiffany moved into Ronald McDonald House, which was better for her, although further to walk from the Hospital.
As the months went by the Doctors started talking about sending Tayla home, as there was nothing that they could do for her in Hospital that could not be done at home. A suitable house had to be located close to a school for Brodie, a wheelchair accessible vehicle, wheelchair, bed, hoist, shower chair, exercise/therapy equipment to be sourced. Medication routines learnt. The Dietary Feeds bought and schedules sorted. Carers to help Tiffany were organised and finally in August 2007 we bought Tayla home. This was 8 months after the accident.
Another learning curve for Tiffany and the rest of the family, in caring for someone who is totally dependant on others for all their needs. Teaching the Carers what to do for Tayla. Organising her School schedule, visits to the RCH for various checkups, alterations to her Splints, plastering of her arms to help maintain her flexibility.
Some Carers were excellent in the beginning but as time went on, they would take short cuts in the care routines. One example was one Carer who would pick up Tayla in her arms to transfer her into a wheelchair, instead of using the Hoist, as it saved her time. She was told more than 3 times to use the hoist for Tayla’s safety and to prevent injury to the Carer. She would still pick her up if she thought we would not notice. Another Carer would record that Tayla’s arm splints had been put on at 2AM and taken off at 4.30AM. Unknown to this Carer, Tiffany had got up and observed that Tayla’s splints were not on at all during this time. Nevertheless, most Carers do a good job and it is not hard to see the care that they show to Tayla.
There have been some small improvements especially regarding Tayla’s responses to questions and she can grip small objects between her right thumb and forefinger. This last thing took Tiffany around 8 months of therapy to achieve.
If I sound like I think we are hard done by, I can assure you that is not the case. There are many, many more kids out there that are much more seriously handicapped than Tayla. In lots of cases, they cannot afford to have Carers and cope on their own. 24 hours a day 7 days a week, month after month. They have to beg for assistance to get the most basic of equipment for their kids.
At the Special School where Tayla goes are hundreds of Children from mildly affected to the most severely handicapped. However, there is the most wonderful atmosphere of kindness and understanding from not only the Teachers and Teachers aides, but from the other kids towards their fellow students.
I guess my overwhelming feelings are for what Tayla will not be able to do. The things that I know she loved doing like swimming out past the breakers at the beach. Swimming across the Maroochydore River and standing on the sandbank in the middle. Doing cartwheels across the back lawn at our house. Going to Golf with me. She had a great eye for putting. She loved diving to the bottom of the pool to pick up Dollar coins that I threw for her.
But then I think that she had 10 years of doing what most kids do, there are many, many kids that were born with their disability and never had the chance to do things that Tayla has. She has the memories of the things she did, and while she might be sad that she can no longer do these, she has some opportunities ahead and she has to be grateful for those. She has a loving family around her. A school with Teachers that really care. A group of Therapists that are the best at what they do and how they do it.
With hard work from all involved, Tayla will be able to enjoy many exciting times and hopefully some opportunities that we are yet to see.
Tayla’s Poppa.
Mike Kosbab.
Tayla
$1,500.00 via PayPal
Acrylic on canvas: 1015mm x 1015mm