KATHY Vonthien went into hospital last October for a hernia operation, expecting a stay of about four days.
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I got a phone call in the middle of the night, 'Get over here quick'. She was actually that crook they were thinking of sending her to Melbourne but they didn't think she'd make the trip.
- Trevor Vonthien
Eighteen operations and 301 days later she finally returned home to Baranduda after complications that nearly killed her and led to her becoming one of Albury Hospital’s longest residents.
So much so the hospital felt like home and the staff became part of the family, sharing the joy of Mrs Vonthien and her husband Trevor when she was discharged on August 13.
"They all lined up to say goodbye when I was going home," she said.
Mrs Vonthien, who celebrates her 69th birthday on Friday, enjoyed reasonable health before her ordeal but the hernia bothered her while playing golf.
The Vonthiens said a cyst found during the initial operation and subsequent intestine problems caused a severe reaction.
“All the systems virtually shut down five or six hours after the operation," Mr Vonthien said.
“The kidneys went, the heart went.
“They whizzed her over to Albury ICU ... I got a phone call in the middle of the night, 'Get over here quick'.
“She was actually that crook they were thinking of sending her to Melbourne but they didn't think she'd make the trip."
Mrs Vonthien spent more than a month in intensive care then, unaware of her surroundings as her husband and adult children Leesa and Brian watched and waited.
As the months passed, more surgery attempted to repair the intestinal damage but only operation number 18, about six weeks ago, proved successful.
Through all this time, Mrs Vonthien had to be fed intraveneously, unable to keep down any food after each operation.
The various medications had an impact and a theraupetic colouring program began, with every visitor to “Kathy’s room” joining in too.
"So the room was covered in pictures; it was the most colourful room in the hospital,” she said.
Mrs Vonthien expressed her thanks for the care she received from all the hospital staff as well as the ongoing support of family and friends.
And she’s glad to say goodbye to the room that was hers for many of those 301 days.
"We had a big 'K' on the door for Kath, and then when she started getting better we added an 'O'," Mr Vonthien said.