Learning to live a struggle for Kingwood quad amputee

KINGWOOD, Texas - Learning to live without limbs has been a struggle for Katy Hayes, but the 43-year-old mother has made it work.

Hayes is the Texas mother of three who had her arms and legs amputated at Parkland Hospital in February last year after developing a rare flesh-eating strep infection. She had just given birth for the third time.
The Hayes put great effort into being an ordinary family. They go camping, and Mrs. Hayes even sings backup for husband Al's band, Soulshine. But, for most things, she relies on her husband and her two older children.
It's been tough on 8-year-old Jake.

"This is not easy for me," Mrs. Hayes said through tears. "I said, 'You have to watch your sister for me,' and he says, 'Mom, I don't want to; I'm tired of watching her and I just want to do my own thing.' And I said, 'I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. This is the way it is and you've just got to buck up and do what I need you to do because I can't do it.'"

"I tried to explain that this is really hard for me because I'm a hands-on mom and I can't be," she continued. "So, I need him to come around to that and own it, and this is really hard for him because he's a kid."
She's convinced, though, she could be doing much more.

Because her condition qualifies her for disability, she is not eligible for Medicaid, which would cover her huge medical bills and rehabilitation.
"The government disability assistance qualifies you to a financial level where you don't qualify for government assistance," Mr. Hayes said. "That's what doesn't make any sense to me."

"It's tragedy heaped on tragedy," he said.
The Hayes have actually been advised to divorce, then Mrs. Hayes could qualify for government insurance. Repulsed by the idea, Mrs. Hayes is rehabbing herself at home. She's also training, with daily workouts that include core crunches for something even bigger.

"These arms are really wonderful, but they're really limited," she said. "That's why we're reaching out to doctors to get arm transplants because if I could have a hand, "a hand." One hand would change my life. I could brush my hair, brush my own teeth."
"What better reason to give someone hands than to hold their baby?" her husband said. "What better reason?"

If she can't hold her baby Arielle, for now, Mrs. Hayes said she is happy sharing a few steps with her.

"She runs," she said with a laugh. "She's showing me up."
Mrs. Hayes said it's not the lack of legs and arms that's holding her back, but the system. But, like most moms, she's doing what she has to, marching ahead one baby step at a time.

Texan heads Bin Laden raiders

The commander of the U.S. military unit responsible for killing elusive al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden — Vice Adm. William H. McRaven — is a San Antonio native and graduate of the University of Texas in Austin.

McRaven, 55, earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1977, although a campus dean said a computer listing didn't indicate whether the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps member had an interest in the print side of news coverage, broadcast or public relations.
A fellow ROTC member recalled McRaven as eager for military service.

"He was extremely focused on preparing for special forces details," said Curtis Raetz, of McKinney, who majored in engineering at UT, served in the Marine Corps and now works in private business.
'He had drive.'

Raetz, who graduated a year before McRaven, said the ROTC program included required courses such as naval science.

James Gruetzner, who served in the same Navy ROTC batallion as McRaven, told Cox Newspapers, "He had drive. He went on extraordinarily long runs to stay in shape. He was very dedicated."
McRaven's Navy biography states he attended the Naval Postgraduate School and was its first graduate in Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict. In 1995, he wrote a book called Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare Theory and Practice.

McRaven became commander of the U.S. military's Joint Special Operations Command in 2008.
In that role, he reportedly led the planning and execution of bin Laden's death Sunday at the hand of Navy SEALs, an acronym that stands for Sea, Air and Land.

Kingwood man tells of World War II internment

KINGWOOD, TX (KTRK) -- We've shown you the internment camps in Texas where Jhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifapanese, German and Italian Americans were imprisoned during World War II.

Now we have the story of a man who spent five years imprisoned in a camp in Crystal City, Texas, near the Mexico border. He's sharing his experience to make sure America never forgets what happened.

For many of the kids at Kingwood High School, what happened during World War II is the stuff of textbooks, not real life. Eighty-six-year-old Eberhard Fuhr aims to change that.

"At the age of 17, what most of you are right now, I was actually arrested and interned for five years of my life," Fuhr told students.

Arrested and imprisoned for being a German national, but Fuhr and his parents left Germany when he was just three years old and moved to Cincinnati.

"There was never any internee charged with doing anything wrong," Fuhr said.

The internment camp is in Crystal City, Texas, located just 35 miles from the Mexican border. It's where Fuhr and his family spent years during World War II.

Fuhr and his family were among thousands of German, Japanese and Italian Americans and nationals to be imprisoned here.

The camp closed in 1948.

Eyewitness News visited the remains of the camp earlier this year with William McWhorter of the Texas Historical Commission. He showed us what used to be the German elementary school during World War II. It's now a Crystal City ISD campus, and one of the buildings used during the camp years is still in use today.

Fuhr was just 17, a high school student, when he was interned and that's what drove his story home to the kids at Kingwood High School.

"For me to think that if I were to be sitting in history one day and just be called out of class and know that I would never see any of those people again, or if I did, it would be several years until that were to happen, that's a scary thought to me," Kingwood High School student Jason Dayvault said.

Fuhr's visit brought a dark chapter of American and Texas History alive for students. History teacher Gini Foreman spent four months arranging the visit.

"I think that today was so invaluable to give them an insight of what they've never experienced," Foreman said.
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It was a lesson plan that may have really resonated with these juniors.

"He's not just here to tell us like what happened in those internment camps but he's also here to help prevent what could possibly happen in the future," student Jacqueline Courchene said.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE

Limbless-coping with motherhood.

KINGWOOD, KHOU Texas—A Kingwood mother who lost her limbs after giving birth has reached one of her goals.

Katy Hayes wanted to walk at the same time as her daughter. Now, they are taking baby steps together.

After giving birth to her third child in February of 2010, the 42-year-old mother’s body was invaded by a rare strep infection.
While she was in a coma, her husband Al had to make the incredibly difficult decision to amputate her limbs.

"It’s not an issue," said Al. "I don’t think that she holds it against me but it may be something that I still hold against myself."
Al promised to take care of Katy and has been there to catch her if she falls on her prosthetic legs.　

When KHOU 11 News visited the Hayes’ house last year, Katy said she wanted to walk by the time her daughter, Arielle, took her first steps.
"She’s already mastered it and moved on," said Katy. "She’s such a good baby."
Reaching one goal at a time is how Katy copes. She does have her moments, though.
"I have to surrender to the ‘I am alive’ and this is the new life I have," Katy said through tears. "Someday I’ll have legs with knees and toes that I can paint again because I miss that too."

The slow process is made easier by the fact that Arielle understands her mother needs special care.

"She had looked at me and noticed that I didn’t have hands and she stuck her hand in my fried okra and she started putting them in my mouth because she realized I couldn’t feed myself," Katy said.

Katy Hayes’ story is featured in the latest edition of People magazine. The article is called "A Life Worth Living."

If you would like to help the Hayes family with expenses or learn more about their fundraisers, visit katyhayesfund.com

4-year-old witnesses mom's shooting

By Allison Triarsi/ KHOU 11 News
khou.com
Posted on March 29, 2011 at 7:05 AM
Updated today at 8:59 AM

HOUSTON—A 4-year-old was found wandering alone in a south Houston apartment complex Monday evening after witnessing a deadly shooting, according to Houston police.
It happened in the Belfort Pines apartments on Canyon at Shelby Circle.

Police said a female neighbor saw the young boy walking around the complex crying around 6:30 p.m. She knew where he lived and took him home to find the door ajar.
The neighbor looked inside the home and saw a man lying on the floor with what appeared to be an injury to the head.

She then entered the home to find the mother lying in the hallway. She was also wounded, but was still alive.

Police said the mother and her boyfriend were arguing over another man when the boyfriend pulled out a gun and shot the woman, then turned the gun on himself.
The boyfriend died at the scene.

READ MORE AT HOUSTON 11