Kelly started the 45-minute drive to Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital with Kevin’s parents and contacted her own parents, who were with Kourtney’s sister, Kylee. None of them imagined that what appeared to be a three-inch cut on the 8-year-old’s head actually would be much more serious. “We found out that it had fractured her skull into 12 pieces, and some of her skull went into her brain,” Kelly recalls. Geisinger Chief Resident of Neurosurgery Darren Jacobs, MD, explains that below the laceration on Kourtney’s head, the rock that hit her had fractured the skull inward, injuring her brain and exposing it. “There’s no doubt that the quick care by the paramedics and Life Flight had a significant effect on her ability to survive the injury,” Dr. Jacobs adds, recalling that Kourtney’s condition was deteriorating rapidly, even in the five minutes after her arrival. “Had she arrived in that condition, there really would have been no hope of survival with or without an operation.” Fortunately, there was still hope for Kourtney, and she underwent emergent surgery to repair the injury to the brain. The skull had been fractured and contaminated to a point where it couldn’t be saved, but the deepest parts of the brain did not appear to be badly damaged. Still, doctors could not determine how well she would fair. “They told us that the first 72 hours were touch-and-go. They didn’t know if she would be able to walk or if she would be able to talk,” Kelly says. The family was in a waiting room near the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) when Dr. Jacobs told them not to expect anything from Kourtney for several days. Kourtney surprised everyone, however, by squeezing her parents’ hands that evening. “They were amazed,” Kevin says. “Instead of five days, it was about five hours.” “The only way I could tell my mom and dad apart was by their fingernails,” Kourtney smiles, remembering that her face was too swollen for her to see but she could feel her mother’s long fingernails. The young girl continued to amaze them. Soon she was talking and her memory was returning, and she was upgraded from intensive care to a regular room. She couldn’t move her left side, however, and she couldn’t eat – a fact that made spending Halloween in the hospital all the more frustrating, Kourtney remembers. “No candy,” she smiles. There were costumes, though, as the Child Life department – a program partially funded by Children’s Miracle Network – organized visits to the children in the hospital, delivering non-edible treats. “Everyone at the hospital – the doctors, the nurses, everyone – was wonderful,” Kelly remembers. “We know that if something happens, this is where we want to be.” As her care continued, Kourtney continued to show promising signs of recovery, but some problems remained, including that severe weakness on her left side. She would eventually regain strength in her left leg and foot, but the weakness in her arm persisted. She also needed to wear a helmet until a manufactured skull piece could be implanted; it would be months before the brain’s swelling would reduce enough to make that possible. It was a difficult adjustment for their daughter, who was always athletic, Kevin and Kelly say. Today, doctors still aren’t sure if complete function will come back to Kourtney’s arm, though she recently moved her wrist – a positive sign. After all the rapid progress she made after surgery, this aspect has seemed frustratingly slow to her and her family. “I am grateful that she has done so well,” Kelly says. “I don’t need her arm to move – but it’s what I want for her.” Kourtney is determined and says she looks forward to playing basketball and softball again. She is being home-schooled and has returned to straight-As, but she’s finding that she has to work harder now to achieve those grades. “Even this far down the road, it’s hard to predict how well she will improve,” Dr. Jacobs says, adding that Kourtney already has surpassed most expectations. “She’s such a delightful kid, and I’m just glad she’s okay.” “The worst is behind her, I know, but it’s still scary, and I worry constantly,” Kelly says. “Still, she’s here, and that’s all that matters.” Meet Kourtney during the annual Children's Miracle Network at Geisinger Celebration June 2 and 3 on WYOU 22. | 
