A walk to remember
Krista DeFranks, 38, formerly of Brownsville, takes a break from therapy at Lasosky’s Personal Care Home in Clarksville. DeFranks suffered a debilitating heart attack four years ago, and moved to Lasosky’s about 18 months ago when her father could no longer care for her at home.
DeFranks
CLARKSVILLE – Moments before Krista DeFranks was found lying unresponsive alongside a road in Columbus, Ohio, she was enjoying her daily jog.
It was 5 a.m., and fortunately for Krista, someone was out and about. Otherwise, the 38-year-old might not be alive today.
Krista had suffered a heart attack, the magnitude of which was so debilitating that she was in a coma for two months.
Four years later, she remains partially paralyzed, is unable to walk any notable distance or talk clearly, and she has severe memory loss, all the result of damage to the left side of her brain. It’s been only in the past several months that Krista has even been able to stand straight for at least 15 minutes.
“She had an unusual type of heart attack. Those who experience that don’t usually live,” said her father, Jim DeFranks of Low Hill, explaining that Krista’s heart was extremely enlarged and beating really fast. Then, suddenly, it stopped. “What saved her was she had a strong enough body. She had been exercising for years.”
For two-and-a-half years, Jim cared for his daughter, but when he could “do no more for her,” he moved Krista to Lasosky Personal Care Home in Clarksville, where Jim, a retired postal worker, visits Krista daily.
It was a good decision.
Krista, who graduated from Brownsville Area High School after attending classes for 11 years in Bethlehem-Center School District, has worked consistently with occupational, physical and speech therapists, and she’s met some amazing people who have turned into her biggest cheerleaders.
Among them is John Robinson, a hospice nurse and co-founder of Unity: A Journey of Hope, an organization that grants wishes to those 18 and older with life-threatening illnesses in the tri-state area and Maryland.
“When Krista came here, we talked about our wishes,” Robinson said. “When I asked her if she wanted to run again, she lit up.”
That’s how Krista’s 5K to Independence was born.
Robinson promised Krista that he would push her in her wheelchair in a 5K, but at the end of the race, she would have to get up and walk the last 25 to 50 feet using her walker.
“We’re sure Krista can make it; we’re not sure about John,” joked Lori Lasosky of ViaQuest Inc. and owner of Lasosky’s Personal Care Home.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Ten Mile Creek County Park at Green Cove Marina, River Trail, Route 88, Millsboro. It was originally scheduled for Sept. 13, but Krista suffered a major setback because of a wound on the outside of her left foot, the result of her leg brace rubbing against her foot. Although Krista had made significant progress at that point, Robinson said “anything she obtained, she lost” because of the injury.
“We had to move the date because Krista had not been walking because of the foot injury, and the event is to encourage exactly that,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll run it. We’ll cross the finish line together, to let her know she won’t be alone.”
Krista was working for Nationwide Insurance Co. in Columbus when she suffered her heart attack. She spent two weeks at Grant Medical Center in Columbus until it was safe enough to move her to Pittsburgh. She had a tracheotomy and a feeding tube. She awoke from the coma on Dec. 29, 2010.
“The last 12 to 14 years are spotty for her,” Krista’s father said. Her mother died 12 years ago at age 53, and “she can’t remember that.”
“There are things she knows, but her focus is not always on,” he said.
Krista receives botox to relax her muscles, and she takes medication to prevent seizures.
“I don’t know if I could do what this dad has done and not bat an eyelash,” Robinson said. “He’s one of the most amazing men I’ve met. She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”
Krista’s last clear memory is of college at Gannon University, where she majored in criminology. She was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, and her sorority sisters held an online fundraiser to help with medical expenses. There is no fee for Saturday’s walk, but donations will be accepted to benefit Unity so that more wishes can be granted.
“Money is not what Krista really needs. It’s people,” her father said. At Lasosky’s, “She has a lot of people. She’s doing a lot better.”
Added Lasosky, “We don’t treat Krista like she’s handicapped. We treat her like one of the family. She’s like one of us. We want to raise awareness, and show people at 38, you can still make gains.”