Post by cam83 on Oct 2, 2003 2:48:14 GMT -5
The doctor, who admitted Karen was looking very worried, and concerned. He had checked her out, and he was not impressed with what he saw.
He told Agnes, Harold and Richard, that Karen was not doing good at all. Her system seemed to be be having some trouble. There was a posibility that her body could shut down. She was very weak. He knew of her battle with anorexia, and that it was ongoing, and that concerned him terribly. The next few days would be critical, as she was severely underweight.
She was unconscious for a few days, and machines, oxygen tanks and life support were attached to her. She was in horrible condition, and if anyone thought that day on February 4th was bad, this was much graver. What had gone wrong? They went into the Intensive Care ward, and they started to cry, when they saw their almost lifeless daughter laying on the bed, so still, with her eyes closed.
Even though Karen was thinner than her lowest weight of 77 pounds, she still looked beautiful, though like a fragile doll. Her features looked so delicate, her nose so perfect, her mouth closed ever so slightly, with a tube taped to her mouth. Her body was wasted though, as there was no way to conceal even that. Every bone stuck out, and they could see her hip bones stick out from the bed covers. Her arms were nothing but skin and bone. The doctor had said that she weighed 73 pounds, and for her height of 5 foot 4 ½, she should be between 116 pounds and 125. He was baffled at how she managed to survive at this weight. She was a skeleton, a living skeleton. If they had thought she was worse before, they were wrong, she was 10 times worse now.
Agnes caressed her daughter's usually silky hair, although now, it was anything but silky. It was dry and very brittle. Her skin also seemed very dry, and underneath the skin there was very little muscle tissue. Agnes recoiled at the feeling of bones protruding through. Her daughter had wasted away, and she didn't know what to do. She began to cry. She was so helpless and it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Karen, come back to us…we love you so much…you don't know how much…things will be different this time…you'll see…please listen to us…" wept Agnes, as she caressed Karen's hand.
Agnes knew that she had to change. She did not want to lose her only daughter. It was something that she had been thinking for awhile. And she didn't want to admit that she was a domineering mother, but she knew that she was. Late at night, she and Harold would talk and talk of different things, and this was one of the things that had come up. Karen had confided in Harold, and this hurt and rankled Agnes, even though she knew why Karen felt she couldn't confide in her.
Harold or Richard couldn't say anything. They were moved to tears, and were desperate for a sign from Karen that everything was alright. But Karen didn't move. She just lay there, as if in a deep sleep…caught between a world of life and a world of death. One member of the family stayed by her bedside, watching and praying over her.
In fact, the whole world was praying for Karen's safety. They didn't want to lose her as well. The week went by, and still no activity, on Karen's part.
Doctors were studying her, and wondering what was wrong. Her heart had irregular heartbeats, and a few times, the alarm sounded, and the Hospital staff came rushing towards her, managing to get her breathing started again. Weeks went by, and still Karen was lost in a coma. Her weight was slowly increasing, and she now weighed 78 pounds, thru the IV in her arm. But they were very careful not to increase her iv usage too much. They had learned much that her heart had been weakened by the sudden weight gain, so they didn't want to put undue pressure on her fragile heart.
Week 3, she opened her eyes briefly, but closed them again. She weighed 82 pounds. During this time, her 3rd single RAINING ALL DAY IN MY HEART was # 3 on the Billboard Top 100 Singles, and stayed there for 6 weeks, and selling over 2.5 million copies. Before her collapse, she had shot this video, so it was released with the single. On the Adult Contemporary Chart, it was also # 1 for 9 weeks.
Her album IN MY LIFE, IN MY TIME was still lodged at # 1 and had gone 7x Platinum.
During the 4th week, 26 days after her collapse Karen awoke, but something was different. Gone was the smiles and joking Karen. In her place was another person, and not the Karen that they knew.
The family was extremely worried but happy that she had returned to the land of the living. They would do their best to try and deal with whatever situation came their way. They were just grateful. Karen rarely said anything, and she just seemed to stare into space, without saying anything. She ate, when her meals came in, and seemed to be like a child, but not like someone who didn't have all their faculties together. She could talk, but never had a need to say anything. The family would talk to her, and fill Karen on recent happenings in the hope that she would return to her normal self again.
It was a slow, and uphill battle, but there was only one way to go up and that was up. The weeks passed, and slowly Karen started to be her old self, even though something was missing. Everyone could tell, but they were unsure of what it was. Since she ate 3 meals a day, her weight rose up to 97 pounds. She was still very thin, but her weight didn't seem to bother her anymore. She would walk around the hallways every day, but not to lose weight, but to get some of her strength back.
Soon though, she was laughing and smiling again, and the cheerful Karen was back, although when Karen felt that no one was looking, her smile vanished, and a look of despair was etched on her face. She was still so terribly confused in life and it's meaning.
Cherry Boone O'Neill came by, and brought her daughter Brittany, who was 4 years old and the baby brother. Karen was delighted to see her old friend. That gave her some encouragement, as she realized that Cherry had indeed suffered anorexia nervosa, conquered it and had a daughter. The impossible was now a miracle, and now she found out that Cherry was expecting her third child. Would wonders ever cease to amaze her? Cherry and Karen would talk for hours, and Karen spent lots of time relaying her fears and insecurities to her friend. Cherry understood Karen, as Cherry had been in a close knit, domineering (but well-meaning) family like Karen's. Both women were over achievers, and felt the need to be perfect at whatever they did. Both knew and experienced the demanding and grueling music industry, as Cherry's father was Pat Boone, and her sister was Debby Boone, and Cherry and her 3 sisters had been the famous Gospel group The Boone Girls. Karen and Cherry shared a lot in common. Cherry mentioned to Karen, the need for more treatment, and suggested that her doctor Raymond Vath, had cured her, and that he could cure her, if she was willing. Cherry also stressed the need to not set time limits on treatment, and that it could take more than a year. Karen had to be open to it.
After Cherry left, Karen spent a lot of time thinking about what Cherry had said. It made sense, but Karen was worried about her music career. Would the public wait for her, while she took the necessary time off. There were many considerations, and she spent many hours thinking of these things.
Karen was released from the hospital, over 9 weeks later. She was now a healthy 105 pounds, compared to the skeleton weight of 73 pounds. Her eyes did not look right, and she did not fight when her parents tried their best to gently encourage her to keep up with visits to the doctor. She had noticed that her parents were trying to be more encouraging and supportive. It was very weird for Karen. Where was her real family?
Karen spent another 2 months at her parents home, taking it easy. She still was informed of what singles of hers were on what chart, position and sales. She was very involved in her career, but at home, instead of rushing around all over. She had found that she had changed. She was not the same person she was before. Even she could see that. She had to figure out what and where her priorites lay. It was difficult, but that was the way it had to be.
He told Agnes, Harold and Richard, that Karen was not doing good at all. Her system seemed to be be having some trouble. There was a posibility that her body could shut down. She was very weak. He knew of her battle with anorexia, and that it was ongoing, and that concerned him terribly. The next few days would be critical, as she was severely underweight.
She was unconscious for a few days, and machines, oxygen tanks and life support were attached to her. She was in horrible condition, and if anyone thought that day on February 4th was bad, this was much graver. What had gone wrong? They went into the Intensive Care ward, and they started to cry, when they saw their almost lifeless daughter laying on the bed, so still, with her eyes closed.
Even though Karen was thinner than her lowest weight of 77 pounds, she still looked beautiful, though like a fragile doll. Her features looked so delicate, her nose so perfect, her mouth closed ever so slightly, with a tube taped to her mouth. Her body was wasted though, as there was no way to conceal even that. Every bone stuck out, and they could see her hip bones stick out from the bed covers. Her arms were nothing but skin and bone. The doctor had said that she weighed 73 pounds, and for her height of 5 foot 4 ½, she should be between 116 pounds and 125. He was baffled at how she managed to survive at this weight. She was a skeleton, a living skeleton. If they had thought she was worse before, they were wrong, she was 10 times worse now.
Agnes caressed her daughter's usually silky hair, although now, it was anything but silky. It was dry and very brittle. Her skin also seemed very dry, and underneath the skin there was very little muscle tissue. Agnes recoiled at the feeling of bones protruding through. Her daughter had wasted away, and she didn't know what to do. She began to cry. She was so helpless and it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Karen, come back to us…we love you so much…you don't know how much…things will be different this time…you'll see…please listen to us…" wept Agnes, as she caressed Karen's hand.
Agnes knew that she had to change. She did not want to lose her only daughter. It was something that she had been thinking for awhile. And she didn't want to admit that she was a domineering mother, but she knew that she was. Late at night, she and Harold would talk and talk of different things, and this was one of the things that had come up. Karen had confided in Harold, and this hurt and rankled Agnes, even though she knew why Karen felt she couldn't confide in her.
Harold or Richard couldn't say anything. They were moved to tears, and were desperate for a sign from Karen that everything was alright. But Karen didn't move. She just lay there, as if in a deep sleep…caught between a world of life and a world of death. One member of the family stayed by her bedside, watching and praying over her.
In fact, the whole world was praying for Karen's safety. They didn't want to lose her as well. The week went by, and still no activity, on Karen's part.
Doctors were studying her, and wondering what was wrong. Her heart had irregular heartbeats, and a few times, the alarm sounded, and the Hospital staff came rushing towards her, managing to get her breathing started again. Weeks went by, and still Karen was lost in a coma. Her weight was slowly increasing, and she now weighed 78 pounds, thru the IV in her arm. But they were very careful not to increase her iv usage too much. They had learned much that her heart had been weakened by the sudden weight gain, so they didn't want to put undue pressure on her fragile heart.
Week 3, she opened her eyes briefly, but closed them again. She weighed 82 pounds. During this time, her 3rd single RAINING ALL DAY IN MY HEART was # 3 on the Billboard Top 100 Singles, and stayed there for 6 weeks, and selling over 2.5 million copies. Before her collapse, she had shot this video, so it was released with the single. On the Adult Contemporary Chart, it was also # 1 for 9 weeks.
Her album IN MY LIFE, IN MY TIME was still lodged at # 1 and had gone 7x Platinum.
During the 4th week, 26 days after her collapse Karen awoke, but something was different. Gone was the smiles and joking Karen. In her place was another person, and not the Karen that they knew.
The family was extremely worried but happy that she had returned to the land of the living. They would do their best to try and deal with whatever situation came their way. They were just grateful. Karen rarely said anything, and she just seemed to stare into space, without saying anything. She ate, when her meals came in, and seemed to be like a child, but not like someone who didn't have all their faculties together. She could talk, but never had a need to say anything. The family would talk to her, and fill Karen on recent happenings in the hope that she would return to her normal self again.
It was a slow, and uphill battle, but there was only one way to go up and that was up. The weeks passed, and slowly Karen started to be her old self, even though something was missing. Everyone could tell, but they were unsure of what it was. Since she ate 3 meals a day, her weight rose up to 97 pounds. She was still very thin, but her weight didn't seem to bother her anymore. She would walk around the hallways every day, but not to lose weight, but to get some of her strength back.
Soon though, she was laughing and smiling again, and the cheerful Karen was back, although when Karen felt that no one was looking, her smile vanished, and a look of despair was etched on her face. She was still so terribly confused in life and it's meaning.
Cherry Boone O'Neill came by, and brought her daughter Brittany, who was 4 years old and the baby brother. Karen was delighted to see her old friend. That gave her some encouragement, as she realized that Cherry had indeed suffered anorexia nervosa, conquered it and had a daughter. The impossible was now a miracle, and now she found out that Cherry was expecting her third child. Would wonders ever cease to amaze her? Cherry and Karen would talk for hours, and Karen spent lots of time relaying her fears and insecurities to her friend. Cherry understood Karen, as Cherry had been in a close knit, domineering (but well-meaning) family like Karen's. Both women were over achievers, and felt the need to be perfect at whatever they did. Both knew and experienced the demanding and grueling music industry, as Cherry's father was Pat Boone, and her sister was Debby Boone, and Cherry and her 3 sisters had been the famous Gospel group The Boone Girls. Karen and Cherry shared a lot in common. Cherry mentioned to Karen, the need for more treatment, and suggested that her doctor Raymond Vath, had cured her, and that he could cure her, if she was willing. Cherry also stressed the need to not set time limits on treatment, and that it could take more than a year. Karen had to be open to it.
After Cherry left, Karen spent a lot of time thinking about what Cherry had said. It made sense, but Karen was worried about her music career. Would the public wait for her, while she took the necessary time off. There were many considerations, and she spent many hours thinking of these things.
Karen was released from the hospital, over 9 weeks later. She was now a healthy 105 pounds, compared to the skeleton weight of 73 pounds. Her eyes did not look right, and she did not fight when her parents tried their best to gently encourage her to keep up with visits to the doctor. She had noticed that her parents were trying to be more encouraging and supportive. It was very weird for Karen. Where was her real family?
Karen spent another 2 months at her parents home, taking it easy. She still was informed of what singles of hers were on what chart, position and sales. She was very involved in her career, but at home, instead of rushing around all over. She had found that she had changed. She was not the same person she was before. Even she could see that. She had to figure out what and where her priorites lay. It was difficult, but that was the way it had to be.
