‘I’m definitely thankful to be alive’: New CNY mom nearly killed by Covid celebrates Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2021

Nearly a year later, Kaylee Gabak, right, loves living a more normal life. Gabak gave birth to Charlotte in late 2020 then suffered through a critical battle with Covid. Charlotte's father and Gabak's fiance, Cody Clink, cared for the newborn while Gabak was hospitalized. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com

Last Thanksgiving, Kaylee Gabak, then 24 and pregnant with her first child, skipped the holiday meal to work her shift at an Auburn nursing home. Her mom brought a plate of turkey, stuffing and other goodies to Gabak at work, but the holiday pretty much went unnoticed.

Gabak had no idea last Thanksgiving how much her life would change in the next few weeks and months. She knew she’d have a new baby, but what she didn’t know was that when she went to the hospital in labor she would test positive for the coronavirus.

Her battle to survive Covid-19 abruptly ripped her from her newborn and family, forced her into a hospital bed and onto a ventilator and ECMO machine. It left her unconscious in a medically induced coma for more than a month.

When she woke up, her baby girl Charlotte was 6 weeks old. The newborn had put on weight, grown hair and become alert. It would be another month of fighting Covid before Gabak could hold Charlotte.

Even last month, just when everything seemed on an even keel, Gabak had a setback. Her heart beats misfired, sending her back into the hospital once again.

“I’m definitely thankful to be alive, and to just be here,’’ Kaylee told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard in an interview recently from her home in Auburn.

For Gabak and her family, this year’s Thanksgiving takes on special meaning. And they are ready to celebrate: Gabak, her 11-month-old baby girl, her fiancé, her parents and her 10-year-old brother are spending Thanksgiving with all the trimmings this year -- plus sunshine, sand and saltwater. The family flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where they rented a house with a pool and hot tub, just a block from the ocean. They’ll dine out for Thanksgiving.

Gabak said her list of blessings is long. She’s thankful for her family, the community that helped her family by donating meals and diapers, the nurses and hospital workers that held her hand and encouraged her. And she’s grateful for her daughter’s bright smile and contagious giggle.

Cody Clink, Gabak’s fiance who cared for their daughter, Charlotte, while Gabak was hospitalized, said her battle with Covid was “pretty crazy.” He said they worried about her for months and he is so pleased to have her home.

Most of all, Gabak said she’s grateful to “be normal, and just be a regular person.”

‘He told me I wasn’t going to die’

Cortney Haberlau, Gabak’s mother, shared Gabak’s fight with Covid with syracuse.com | The Post-Standard in January 2021.

Gabak had gone into labor Christmas night, and when she got to the hospital in Auburn, a routine test showed she was positive for Covid. She gave birth to a healthy, Covid-free baby girl on Dec. 26 and was released two days later. But on Dec. 29, Gabak had difficulty breathing, and was readmitted to Auburn Community Hospital.

She had very little memory of that time, but she does remember the words of one male nurse – she doesn’t know his name – at the hospital in Auburn.

“He told me I wasn’t going to die,’’ she recalled.

The next day, she was transferred to Upstate University Hospital, where she remained until March 2. She spent the next month fighting for her life, in critical condition, sedated on a ventilator and later placed on an ECMO machine, which uses a pump to circulate blood to bypass the heart and lungs. She was unconscious from Dec. 30 to Feb. 3.

Her mother remembers walking into the intensive care unit that day in February.

“I was worried because her curtain was closed, and I started freaking out,’’ Haberlau remembers. “Then they told me she’s awake and they are putting her into a chair. I lost it. It was the first time she woke up.”

Gabak remembers bits and pieces of that first day.

“I remember complaining about how uncomfortable the chair was,’’ she said.

She also remembers odd visions -- that Clink had bought a puppy and that there was a hamster cage in her room. She also remembers being asked what year it was, and getting it wrong. She thought it was still 2020.

“It’s all a pretty blurry experience,’’ she said. “I couldn’t talk for about two weeks, but I remember gesturing to my mom to ask how big Charlotte was now.”

Kaylee Gabak fiance Cody Clink

Kaylee Gabak's fiance, Cody Clink, with their newborn baby girl, Charlotte.

‘I always believed she would make it’

At first, her mom didn’t want to bombard Gabak with too much information. She didn’t tell her she’d missed 35 days and her daughter was growing fast.

At first after waking up, Gabak could only move her head and eyes, and wiggle her fingertips and toes a bit. She could mouth some things to her mom, who tears up when she remembers Gabak mouthing “I love you.”

Clink would put Charlotte on Facetime, but some days Gabak said it was too painful for see her. It was wrenching to see how she’d grown without her mom there, and how she was away from her now. Other times, seeing her daughter boosted her spirits.

Meanwhile, friends, family and community members reached out to support the family, raising money for medical expenses and dropping off food and diapers. Haberlau and her family never gave up.

“I always believed she would make it,’’ Haberlau said.

Haberlau said the Upstate nurses on the 6-I Covid ward were wonderful, making sure she had something to eat and drink while she was there with her daughter. Once she awoke, Gabak says she remembers the special care from her physical therapist and all the nurses.

She felt a special connection with Gwendoline Rosekrans, a nurse on the Covid floor who she went to high school with in Auburn.

Rosekrans said when she first saw Gabak at the hospital, she was intubated and unconscious. At one point, Gabak started to bleed internally.

“It was such a scary moment for me, and horrifying to see her lying there,’' Rosekrans said. “We got her stabilized and she had surgery the next day and it all worked out. But I remember because I really didn’t know if she was going to live. I told myself ‘Kaylee, you’re not going to die on my watch.’ It wound up being one of my proudest moments as a nurse.”

When Gabak woke up, Rosekrans was one of her nurses, and would check on her even when she wasn’t assigned as her patient. On the first day Gabak could eat regular food, Rosekrans and some other nurses ordered her one of her favorites - a slice of cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.

Recently, Rosekrans said she offered to do a family photo shoot with Gabak, Cody and Charlotte.

“It was amazing for me to do that,’' Rosekrans said. “It meant so much to see her walking around with her baby. She is one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.”

Gabak said she feels a special connection with Rosekrans, and stays in touch with her.

‘We had to reconnect’

Once Gabak was released from the hospital in March and came home, she says her life felt surreal at first.

“I was trying to connect with Charlotte,’’ she recalls. “I was handed this 2-month-old and it felt distant between us. She wasn’t a newborn anymore. We had to reconnect.”

Gabak remembers walking up the huge staircase in her house “was an Olympic event.” It was about three weeks before she felt confident enough to carry Charlotte, and several more weeks before she’d carry her up the stairs.

Kaylee Gabak holds her baby

Kaylee Gabak holds her baby after giving birth on Dec. 26, 2020. Gabak contracted the coronavirus while she was pregnant and was hospitalized after she gave birth.Provided photo

In July, Gabak went back to Upstate to have her tracheostomy scar minimized and to visit the nurses and physical therapist who cared for her. She also met the man – whose name she still isn’t certain of -- who ran the ECMO machine.

“He told me I was his biggest accomplishment in life,’’ she said. “That he worked with me, and he saved my life.”

In October, Gabak had a setback, which doctors told her is a result of her battle with Covid. She had heart palpitations and felt lightheaded. She wound up at Crouse Hospital, where she learned her heart was misfiring. The bottom ventricles were skipping beats.

It cleared up itself after three days, and hasn’t happened since, Gabak said. For now, they are monitoring her with an implant that tracks her heartbeats. If it gets worse, she said she could need a pacemaker.

‘I’m selfish with her’

Haberlau said she still dwells on what happened to her daughter and why. Gabak, on the other hand, says she’s just moved on and is happy and grateful to be alive. At the same time, she now realizes how serious her condition was.

The family has also been vaccinated against Covid. They say they take precautions. Gabak says she was advised not to get her vaccine until this past July, so she’s not eligible for the booster yet.

Gabak plans to stay home with her daughter now, making up for lost time.

“I’m selfish with her,” she said. “I don’t like to share her with anyone.’’

On this Thanksgiving, Gabak said, she’s so grateful to be together with family and to be taking a trip together to Florida.

Plus, they’ve got another milestone to celebrate. Gabak’s mom, who helped care for her granddaughter and daughter during those harrowing weeks early this year, is turning 40 on Thanksgiving day.

“We have so much to be grateful for,’’ Gabak said.

Charlotte Gabak

Charlotte Gabak, nearly a year old, peaks out of a toy while playing on the floor at home on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com

Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com

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