Local fighting COVID-19 since Thanksgiving now breathing on her own

FORT ST.JOHN, B.C. – A Fort St. John woman whose been in a medical coma for over a month is now awake, breathing on her own and with her newborn child.

Dwayne Binette posted to a local Facebook group Sunday saying his wife Krystal, whose been battling COVID-19 since Thanksgiving, has been off life support for a week.

“I am in Vancouver with her now. She has a long recovery road ahead of her. Her lungs are still healing, and her muscles have atrophied and lost some muscle memory. So she has to build that back up. This happens with extended periods of life support,” said Binette in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Earlier this month, Binette said Krystal had been making strides after being taken off ECMO life support and put back on a ventilator. This was after suffering internal bleeding on two separate occasions in the span of a week, which was believed to be a result of the emergency c-section that took place on October 23rd.

Binette also said the couple’s newborn, Skyler, is doing “amazing” as she continues to grow and develop.

“Her stay in the hospital will be long, but she’s healthy.”

Binette sent out a huge thank you to the community who helped him navigate a very dark time, where he “thought she wasn’t gonna make it, twice.”

“Our kind words and prayers really did help keep hope in our hearts. So thank you so much, proud to live amongst you all,” said Binette.

“To think I almost lost her twice and how far she has come is a miracle.”

Prophet River First Nation was also thanked in Binette’s post for their support. The band paid for Binette’s trip to see his wife and child.

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