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Teenage boxer fights for life after trip to Thailand
By Jodie Munro O'Brien
December 18, 2007 01:00am
A TEENAGE boxer is fighting for her life after falling ill with a life-threatening virus after a trip to Thailand.
Courtney Bird, 18, of Cooktown and formerly of Brisbane, remains in a coma in intensive care in a Brisbane hospital after her return from a 12-day trip with the Cooktown Full Boar Thai Boxing Club to a tournament in Bangkok.
Her family hopes her fighting spirit will help her awaken for Christmas.
Within hours of returning to Brisbane, Ms Bird was rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and put into an induced coma after being struck by influenza B, which led to a streptococcal infection and a blood infection called sepsis.
Her father Mark Meskell said while it was feared she would not survive, doctors believed his daughter's fitness would help her fight the virus, which had caused her kidneys and other organs to shut down.
"She's still critical, but they are very hopeful ... doctors said undoubtedly her fitness level and age has helped her," he said.
Doctors told Mr Meskell the virus could have infected his daughter in Australia, with Thailand not being a factor.
Cooktown Full Boar Thai Boxing Club trainer Vince Parkes said although Ms Bird travelled to Thailand with the team, a wrist injury the day before the tournament robbed her of the chance to compete.
"She had been training all year to go over there and she tried to train with it wounded - but we soon realised she wouldn't be able to fight," he said.
Mr Parkes said Ms Bird did not start feeling sick until they returned home.
"On the nine or 10-hour flight we were all sitting together like it was nothing," he said. "We landed in Australia and she started to feel nauseous."
Mr Meskell said he did not know how long his daughter would be in the coma, but he hoped she would be well enough to be awake by her birthday on Christmas Day.
"Hopefully she'll have a certain degree of consciousness and a few machines off by Christmas Day," he said.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22938764-2,00.html
Teenage boxer fights for life after trip to Thailand
By Jodie Munro O'Brien
December 18, 2007 01:00am
A TEENAGE boxer is fighting for her life after falling ill with a life-threatening virus after a trip to Thailand.
Courtney Bird, 18, of Cooktown and formerly of Brisbane, remains in a coma in intensive care in a Brisbane hospital after her return from a 12-day trip with the Cooktown Full Boar Thai Boxing Club to a tournament in Bangkok.
Her family hopes her fighting spirit will help her awaken for Christmas.
Within hours of returning to Brisbane, Ms Bird was rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and put into an induced coma after being struck by influenza B, which led to a streptococcal infection and a blood infection called sepsis.
Her father Mark Meskell said while it was feared she would not survive, doctors believed his daughter's fitness would help her fight the virus, which had caused her kidneys and other organs to shut down.
"She's still critical, but they are very hopeful ... doctors said undoubtedly her fitness level and age has helped her," he said.
Doctors told Mr Meskell the virus could have infected his daughter in Australia, with Thailand not being a factor.
Cooktown Full Boar Thai Boxing Club trainer Vince Parkes said although Ms Bird travelled to Thailand with the team, a wrist injury the day before the tournament robbed her of the chance to compete.
"She had been training all year to go over there and she tried to train with it wounded - but we soon realised she wouldn't be able to fight," he said.
Mr Parkes said Ms Bird did not start feeling sick until they returned home.
"On the nine or 10-hour flight we were all sitting together like it was nothing," he said. "We landed in Australia and she started to feel nauseous."
Mr Meskell said he did not know how long his daughter would be in the coma, but he hoped she would be well enough to be awake by her birthday on Christmas Day.
"Hopefully she'll have a certain degree of consciousness and a few machines off by Christmas Day," he said.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22938764-2,00.html
