Mother left paralysed and comatose after Utah hiking trip
Chris Kamke, a 65-year-old mother who recently beat terminal breast cancer, has become critically ill following a hiking trip to Utah in September, leaving her comatose and completely paralysed on life support. During the trip, she developed severe pain in her hips and legs whilst hiking at Bryce Canyon, and her condition rapidly deteriorated despite initial hospital treatment. The incident highlights how quickly health can decline even in individuals who have overcome serious illness and demonstrates the vulnerability of those recovering from major medical treatment.
Doctors initially suspected heat-related illness, but clinical examination revealed bacterial pneumonia, which developed due to Kamke's weakened immune system from cancer treatment. Further testing identified Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), a rare autoimmune disorder affecting approximately one in 250,000 people, as the underlying cause of her paralysis. Since 25 September, Kamke has remained comatose in hospital nearly 1,700 miles from her Wisconsin home, and her family is fundraising for medical transport costs of approximately $27,000-$28,000 through the non-profit Grace on Wings, after insurance refused to cover the $50,000 medical flight.
- Cancer survivor left paralysed and comatose after Utah hiking trip
- Diagnosed with rare autoimmune disorder affecting 1 in 250,000 people
- Family fundraising for medical transport costs home to Wisconsin
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Chris Kamke is a 65-year-old woman from Wisconsin who had recently recovered from terminal breast cancer. During a hiking trip to Utah's Bryce Canyon in September, she developed severe pain in her hips and legs and rapidly became critically ill.
Doctors found that she had bacterial pneumonia alongside a rare autoimmune condition called Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder, in which the immune system attacks the nervous system. This condition caused her to become completely paralysed and comatose.
Kamke remains in hospital in Utah, nearly 1,700 miles from her home in Wisconsin. She is dependent on life support whilst her family fundraises for medical transport costs of approximately $27,000 to $28,000 after her insurance refused to cover the expenses.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Mother who recently beat breast cancer left completely paralyzed and comatose after taking hiking trip to Utah beauty spot”.