Moose Jaw woman thriving after freezing to death, then making miraculous recovery

MOOSE JAW – Over two decades ago, two-year-old Karlee Kosolofski (Potts) wandered out of her home in a blizzard.

The toddler followed her father, unaware of his shadow, out the door into the yard on a blistery winter night in 1994. By the time she reached the garage, her dad was gone and she was stuck.

The temperature outside was -40 degrees with the wind chill.

In her own words, Kosolofski “froze like an ice cube,” trapped outside for nearly six hours before being discovered by her mother.

The family lived in Rouleau, and with treacherous road conditions, it took the ambulance about 25 minutes to get to their home.

In the meantime, Kosolofski’s parents and neighbours wrapped her in warm blankets.

When she arrived at the hospital doctors used a special machine to remove her blood from her body, add oxygen, warm it, and pump it back in.

The process took over three hours, meaning Kosolofski was clinically dead for eight hours.

But the two-year old made a miraculous recovery. Her heart suddenly started beating, stunning her doctors and beating the odds.

She suffered severe frostbite on her nose, ears and legs, eventually losing her left leg.

She remembered nothing of the traumatic incident.

21 years later, Kosolofski is still suffering, but she’s alive. “It’s definitely been a difficult time. I’ve had lots of surgeries.”

When she was found, her core temperature was just 14 degrees, a far cry from the normal 37. She’s one of very few human beings to be that cold, and live to talk about it. That presented challenges for her medical team.

“They’d never seen a case like me, so all they can do is guess,” Kosolofski said.

Karlee’s left leg was amputated three times and the prosthesis she once wore is now too painful on her stump.

“Usually I’m on crutches, but when I’m around my house I use my wheelchair because it saves my knee,” Kosolofski said.

In her last surgery, a year and a half ago, she encountered numerous side-effects, including nerve pain and infections.

Four screws were implanted into her stump and Kosolofski turned them every day in an attempt to reshape her leg, “It was basically like re-breaking your bone every time you turn it.”

Through those challenges, she’s been supported by the love of her life, her husband James, “He is the sweetest guy. He treats me well and is always understanding about when I have my pain.”

She’s trying to move to Illinois to live with her husband and their furry friend, Toby.

“The cat had to get its tail amputated and it wags it like a dog would,” Kosolofski laughed. She recognized the irony, but thought it might be something more.

“I do believe in God though, I think that cat was sent,” she said.

Initially, the 23 year old dreamed of being a veterinarian, but her priorities have changed over the years, “I’m hoping to be a stay at home mom, and have at least two kids.”

Something nobody thought possible when she was found face-down in the snow, 21 years ago.