What Happen to Ellie
On December 20, 2017, all her hopes, dreams, and aspirations were shattered when she was found lifeless in her apartment having been ASSAULTED & STRANGLED. Paramedics were able to revive her, but she had already suffered massive injuries including a heart attack and anoxic brain injury from lack of oxygen. Because Ellie had only recently moved back to Missouri to finish High school among her friends and peers, the family was tasked with finding a way to get her back to Perry, Utah where her father, MSgt. John Bartlow was stationed at Hill Air Force Base before he retired on 28 Feb 2019.
Ellie's Videos
Tribute Song to Ellie 21 May 2020
Direct Feed from Ellie's Facebook Page
prayersforellieprewitt
Updates and videos like below from Jennifer
and public (@prayers4ellie) posts/prayers
Elizabeth Renae Prewitt (our 20-year-old Daughter)
Energetic, free-spirited, and full of potential are just a few attributes you would use to describe Elizabeth Renae Prewitt. Finding ways to make people smile and capturing an audience from the moment she steps into the room are how people remember this confident young lady. Elizabeth strives for perfection in athletics, art, and education. She is a track-star, an elite gymnast, and a three-time All European cheerleader. She was one of five high school students to have her art displayed at the Nelson Atkins Art Museum and she wanted so much to further her education to become a children’s art therapist.
How is Ellie Doing
After months in the hospital and a long-term care facility, it was imperative that Ellie comes home where she could begin the recovery process with the love and support of her family by her side. In an effort to do this, many modifications had to be made to the family home and on May 11, 2018, the transition was made possible. We have been blessed by great friends, family, church groups, co-workers, Air Force agencies, and neighborhood groups that have helped support us and even raise donations just to get her back to Salt Lake City just 70 miles from our home instead of the nearly 1,000 miles where the tragic event happen. Now, we are at a point in her care where she has made enough progress to come home for in-home nursing care but we are not really prepared for this. We still need to make some additional modification to get her around in the house and travel with the family easier. She has made slow progress from the "Acute Brain Injury (the event)" through the "Coma" Stage and is out of the "Vegetative" Stage into the "Minimally Conscious", as of December 17, 2018. Now the next and last stage is "Recovery of Consciousness"
Prognosis for Anoxic Brain Damage
Recovering from anoxic brain damage is difficult. Many factors contribute to the degree and rate of recovery. The amount and kind of brain damage is a critical factor; anoxic brain injury can be mild, moderate, or severe. The length of time spent unconscious or in a coma, coupled with how much normal function is recovered within the first month of the injury can indicate the chance of long-term recovery. People who have experienced severe anoxic brain injury may remain in a coma or vegetative state.
Their chances of recovery may be minimal. Cases of moderate anoxic brain injury have a better outcome, but recovery may still take months or years. People with mild anoxic brain injury usually make a full or nearly full recovery and are able to live lives that are relatively normal and symptom-free.
Treatment of Anoxic Brain Injury
When treating anoxic brain injury, doctors first attempt to pinpoint the cause of the injury and treat it. For example, if the lack of oxygen is due to a stroke, the first priority will be to treat the patient for stroke. If the problem is due to heart arrhythmia, steps will be taken to regulate and stabilize the heart’s rhythm. Efforts to stop further brain damage will be combined with treatments for the cause of the problem. Every effort will be made to restore normal oxygen availability to the brain. The patient will be kept cool in order to reduce further brain damage because the brain can reach high temperature during oxygen deprivation.
Steroids may be given in an attempt to reduce brain swelling since swelling can also damage the brain. Barbiturates may be given to reduce brain activity and allow the tissue time to recover. Sometimes people with anoxic brain injury have seizures. Anti-seizure medications will be used to control this problem. Severe seizures may be treated with anesthesia. In many instances, the patient must be put on a ventilator during the first phase of treatment. This is frightening for the family, but it can be a step taken to assure the proper level of oxygen will be maintained so that the patient has a chance of recovery. Of course, all involved must be prepared for the possibility of brain death (no brain activity, which means no chance of recovery).
The longer a person remains unconscious, the greater the chance of brain death. The medical team should keep the appropriate family members aware of exactly what is going on; do not hesitate to ask questions about every treatment. There are no “dumb questions.” Once the patient is stable and life-threatening injuries have been treated, the rehabilitation phase of treatment will follow. Generally, chances of recovery are better when rehabilitation can be started quickly, particularly with people over 25. As people age the muscles atrophy more quickly with bed rest, so it is important to begin movement as soon as possible.
During rehabilitation, the patient and his or her family will work with a multidisciplinary staff including doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and other specialists to devise an individualized program designed to return the patient to the maximum level of function. The rehabilitation phase may include:
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Speech therapy
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Physical therapy
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Occupational therapy
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Recreational therapy
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Adaptive equipment training
Taking care of someone with anoxic brain injury can be a physically and emotionally draining experience; the person’s physical needs may be taxing and they may not relate to you in the way they once did.
How to Help Ellie
As always we are huge believers in the POWER of PRAYER and hopes everyone keeps her in his or her prayers and thoughts. Now that Ellie is home we need some help with funding some of the expenses that are not covered by insurance You can also look at "How to Support Her" tab for some of the other projects we need help for Helping Ellie Recover.
Ellie's Family
John
(Dad)
Is an Air Force retired MSgt (E-7), he enlisted back in February 1993. His main job is a Munitions(AMMO) Manager; his daughters always had a great time when we have a career day at work. They get a chance to build training bombs (inert) just like John did when he first started in the Air Force.
Jennifer
(Mom)
Savanna
(Sister)
Makayla
(Sister)
Was a single mom for a majority of Ellie’s childhood until I came along a swept her off her feet when Ellie was about 13. Jennifer was an Army brat but grew up mainly in Missouri after spending her first two years in Germany. Now in addition to her own medical concerns and struggles, she is trying to help with Ellie recovery.
She graduated from Minnesota University May 2019, She decided to leave us the last year in Italy to get a jump on college, plus grandma and grandpa are nearby so I am sure she gets spoiled once in a while.
She loved the after-school activities but at times we are unable to some of the little extra perks the others get because now we have our focus on Ellie's care at home. She is a huge help to Jennifer by helping attend to Ellie despite recovering from her arch reconstruction surgery back in June 2018.
Daniela
(Sister)
She loves to work on puzzles and spend time relaxing with dad and the rest of the family. She also loves to play soccer and had her first season of indoor soccer finish last months.
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© 2018
Proudly created by John Bartlow