I'm asking for your thoughts and prayers for one of our fellow triathletes racing IMFL this past weekend. Dorothy remains unconscious in the hospital after being pulled unconscious from the water during the swim. I've summarized some emails and threads from other forums to share the story and ask for your support.
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"Dorothy Barnett Griffin, who many of you know from LifeTime Masters Swimming (the Plano, TX group), is in the hospital in Panama City. Dorothy and Mike Griffin were doing their first full Ironman triathlon Saturday in Panama City Florida. Apparently Dorothy had some issues late in the swim (unsure what precipitated the difficulties) and was pulled from the water. She was not breathing so they immediately began CPR, and there was water in her lungs. When they got her to shore they used the defibrillator and got her to the hospital. They pulled Mike from the route at about mile 56 as he had a fast swim and was unaware of any problems. Yesterday they drilled a hole in her head to release the pressure on her brain, which was swelling, and put some type of stint in it. She was placed on a ventilator and is in intensive care. Dorothy and Mike's parents and their kids and some of Dorothy's siblings are in Florida with her.
YESTERDAY's NOTE (11/4):
I just got off the phone with Mike and he is more positive than yesterday. A brain scan was performed today and there are some brain waves - Dorothy is on a respirator only to make it easier for her to breathe - she could actually breathe on her own. There are some hand movements and leg movements - but those could be involuntary. While not pertinent to her current condition we do know now that she was on her second loop of the swim and that she did in fact grab a kayak but then lost consciousness at that point - she was immediately pulled out of the water - the good news here is that she did not spend that long without air. He said she is very weak but she is a fighter. She still is not conscious and her condition is still guarded. She did raise her hand slightly when he walked into the room and called her name earlier and we pray this is a sign that she heard him. They also downloaded the information from her heart rate monitor and her average HR was 135 with a max of 160 which the doctors feel is a good sign.
TODAY's INFORMATION (11/5)
Jody spoke with Mike again this morning. Dorothy had to go back into surgery because the pressure on her brain had built up and the stint was no longer working. Her eyes had become dilated and she had stopped moving. They took out part of her skull to relieve the pressure and immediately her eyes went back to normal so the surgery was successful. Her condition is critical so please keep the prayers going.
Many of you know Dorothy's story of losing her husband a few years ago in a tragic accident and how since then she has helped hundreds with her work with Journey of Hope - helping spouses and children dealing with the loss of a parent. We have come to know of Dorothy as a strong person (as is Mike). We are asking all of the triathlon community as well of friends of Dorothy and Mike to keep her in your POSITIVE thoughts, prayers and to stay "DOROTHY-STRONG."
UPDATE (11/5):
They are taking Dorothy back into surgery this morning to remove the other part of her skull as they need to relieve more pressure.
There is some good news. The X-rays show that her lungs are improving. Also when they pinched her really hard she did react to it which is a good sign.
Keep those prayers coming.
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"Dorothy Barnett Griffin, who many of you know from LifeTime Masters Swimming (the Plano, TX group), is in the hospital in Panama City. Dorothy and Mike Griffin were doing their first full Ironman triathlon Saturday in Panama City Florida. Apparently Dorothy had some issues late in the swim (unsure what precipitated the difficulties) and was pulled from the water. She was not breathing so they immediately began CPR, and there was water in her lungs. When they got her to shore they used the defibrillator and got her to the hospital. They pulled Mike from the route at about mile 56 as he had a fast swim and was unaware of any problems. Yesterday they drilled a hole in her head to release the pressure on her brain, which was swelling, and put some type of stint in it. She was placed on a ventilator and is in intensive care. Dorothy and Mike's parents and their kids and some of Dorothy's siblings are in Florida with her.
YESTERDAY's NOTE (11/4):
I just got off the phone with Mike and he is more positive than yesterday. A brain scan was performed today and there are some brain waves - Dorothy is on a respirator only to make it easier for her to breathe - she could actually breathe on her own. There are some hand movements and leg movements - but those could be involuntary. While not pertinent to her current condition we do know now that she was on her second loop of the swim and that she did in fact grab a kayak but then lost consciousness at that point - she was immediately pulled out of the water - the good news here is that she did not spend that long without air. He said she is very weak but she is a fighter. She still is not conscious and her condition is still guarded. She did raise her hand slightly when he walked into the room and called her name earlier and we pray this is a sign that she heard him. They also downloaded the information from her heart rate monitor and her average HR was 135 with a max of 160 which the doctors feel is a good sign.
TODAY's INFORMATION (11/5)
Jody spoke with Mike again this morning. Dorothy had to go back into surgery because the pressure on her brain had built up and the stint was no longer working. Her eyes had become dilated and she had stopped moving. They took out part of her skull to relieve the pressure and immediately her eyes went back to normal so the surgery was successful. Her condition is critical so please keep the prayers going.
Many of you know Dorothy's story of losing her husband a few years ago in a tragic accident and how since then she has helped hundreds with her work with Journey of Hope - helping spouses and children dealing with the loss of a parent. We have come to know of Dorothy as a strong person (as is Mike). We are asking all of the triathlon community as well of friends of Dorothy and Mike to keep her in your POSITIVE thoughts, prayers and to stay "DOROTHY-STRONG."
UPDATE (11/5):
They are taking Dorothy back into surgery this morning to remove the other part of her skull as they need to relieve more pressure.
There is some good news. The X-rays show that her lungs are improving. Also when they pinched her really hard she did react to it which is a good sign.
Keep those prayers coming.
