KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A little more than a week after giving birth to her son Banks, Carina Klein started to develop strange symptoms. She was slurring her speech. Her hands felt tingly.
Stroke-like symptoms started, which led her to being hospitalized, where she took another sudden turn for the worse.
Doctors say she has acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM. They describe it as an autoimmune attack on the brain and spinal cord.
ADEM affects only 1 in every 125,000 to 250,000 people in the U.S. and is extremely rare in adults.
Doctors told Carina's family the auto immune event was brought on because she was postpartum.
“For a while there, I didn’t know if I would make it home,” Carina Klein said.
Watch Julie Dunmire's video story below:
Carina couldn't speak or walk at first. Nine weeks later, and her progress is remarkable. Her occupational therapists at Mary Free Bed call her steady improvement impressive — saying she was hitting milestones faster than they could keep up with.
“Her focus was on getting home to her son,” Occupational Therapist Jessica Lewis said.
Wanting to be his mom kept Carina going through rough days re-learning how to be independent, and stand or walk.
“I’m very excited. Just to be able to do the everyday things. Like, change his diaper," Carina said.
Carina says she admits most people probably don't look forward to a diaper change. But for her, those little things mean everything.
And Carina's occupational therapists helped her practice doing just that. Any chance she gets, Carina practices with Banks, from walking him in a stroller, to wearing him on her chest.
Therapists even made a fake "Baby Banks" out of 11 pounds of ankle weights, for her to practice with.
Because of all she's been through, Carina is most looking forward to getting back home to Kalamazoo, because that's where her family is. She'll continue occupational therapy with Mary Free Bed there.
“Her new husband, and her baby. Just for them to be a family of three. They didn’t have that chance. She also has a dog Bennie, who misses her terribly,” Carina's mom, Lynne Cardeccia said.
Carina wants to use her story to help others.
“Advocate for yourself. And just be aware of different things that can happen postpartum. That’s just as important, if not as important as pregnancy, delivery, all that,” Klein said.
