The family of a little girl whose death may be the fifth in Travis County due to Swine Flu, shared their story with KVUE News.
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KVUE's Jim Bergamo reports
>Two-and-a-half months before she came to Dell Children's Medical Center as a patient, Catherine Gibson came to the hospital shortly after her 5th birthday. She gave three presents she had received from her own party to less fortunate children who were staying here.
Her mom says after that night, Catherine began praying for the kids at Dell Children's Medical Center. Now, prayers are being offered up in her memory.
The Gibson family -- dad Ken, mom Kristin, 2-year old Ford and 1-year old Liam is missing one very important family member, 5-year old Catherine. She died late Wednesday night from complications of what doctors suspect was the swine flu.
"I think as a parent anyone can just imagine the absolute horror that we're going through right now and I don't wish this upon anyone," Kristin Gibson said.
Gibson said her daughter loved to read and compliment everyone.
"She was just an amazing little girl who was wise beyond her years," Gibson said.
Gibson said last Monday, Catherine woke up with a fever, a cough and some nausea. Her mom, while aware of the swine flu, didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary. But a day later, Catherine couldn't speak, couldn't swallow and couldn't squeeze her mom's hand when asked. About that time the doctors informed her parents Catherine had tested positive for influenza type A, which can be swine flu.
"They were realizing that something was really wrong and this was not just a matter of her being dehydrated that there was something else terribly wrong," Gibson said.
Catherine died at 11:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
According to Dr. Pat Crocker, Dell Children's Chief of Emergency Medicine, Catherine died from possible cardiac dysfunction and encephalitis, a rare complication of the flu that causes swelling of the brain.
"Then there's the reaction as a mom," said Laura Beck, a family friend and Liam's Godmother.
Beck said she must now explain Catherine's death to her own daughter who was born the same year.
"How do I tell my little girl that she'll never see her friend again, a friend she grew up with and she's five," Beck said.
The Gibson's said the doctors and staff at Dell Children's did everything they could, and they're now working with the hospital to create an endowment fund to help other children. Because Catherine loved to read, they hope the fund will help provide books so that future patients can escape their situation through imagination -- if just for a few moments.
"This is a horrible tragedy and if there's something positive that can come out of this then that's what I would want," Gibson said.
Austin-Travis County health officials are waiting on test results to confirm whether Catherine did indeed die from swine flu.
Catherine's funeral is scheduled for Monday. It is for family and friends only.
To donate to the Catherine Gibson Endowment Fund benefiting the patients at Dell Children's, follow the link in the NewsLinks section of KVUE.com. Select Dell Childrens Medical Center of Central Texas as the category, and enter Catherine Gibson Endowment as the subcategory.
