Maureen Melley

Wednesday Jan 5th - Momo was doing just fine, although she noted that she had a cold, her throat was sore and she was not feeling well.  


Thursday Jan 6th -  Momo went to her doctor to get checked out; she had good vitals, had a negative rapid strep test and was told she probably had a virus.  Shortly after her appointment, when Erin did not hear from her, Charlie checked in on her.  He found her on the floor, but conscious and disoriented.   He had her transported to the hospital immediately.  At the ER on Thursday, she quickly rebounded with rehydration and many tests were ordered.   Momo had a CT scan of her head that did not show an obvious bleed or indicate signs of a stroke.  Without a source of infection identified, she was admitted for observation only to have a horrible night - vomiting, high fevers, extreme agitation and significant mental status changes.  Her blood cultures were positive for strep bacteria, meaning she was septic.


Friday Jan 6th -  Early in the morning Momo was admitted to the ICU, and put on a ventilator.   The caring staff began aggressive treatment of this nasty Strep infection that was making her septic and causing Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).   The infection shutdown her kidneys, compromised her circulation and blood pressure and began to impact her liver.  The outlook was grim;  Colleen, Patrick and Michael arrived to help Erin and Charlie, and of course see Momo together.  Family and friends prayed hard.  


Saturday Jan 7th - Very static information on Momo, nothing really changed throughout the day.  An echocardiogram was performed and it was noted that her heart was functioning at 20% vs a normal of about 60%.  Her liver and kidneys were still not functioning.  Again, family, friends continued to pray, including a dedicated Rosary - she opened her eyes during the time of the Rosary =).


Sunday Jan 8th - We received news that her condition had improved slightly - they continued to reduce her meds and her blood pressure was doing well.  The situation is still critical - but better than anyone ever expected - a tribute to the staff at North Shore University Hospital and the prayers of many friends and family.  Throughout the day, her numbers continued to look slightly better, they adjusted the ventilator and she was able to breathe on her own, albeit still intubated.  


Monday Jan 9th - Momo was a bit more lucid, opening her eyes and responding to some commands.  She can move her legs although due to the infection, has developed significant blisters on her extremities.  Each of our visits to the ICU is tough, really trying to decipher what every glance means.  The staff continues to keep us apprised, and they are hopeful that she can be extubated and removed from the ventilator on Tuesday.  Perhaps this will allow Momo to communicate with us, but we are well aware that we are by no means out of the woods and each passing day brings a new challenge.  


We will continue to update this site daily and as new information becomes available.  We are so grateful for your support and prayers and will continue to let her know that all of your are thinking of her.


Love - 

Colleen, Erin, Patrick, Michael