It’s been 31 years since then 2½-year-old Karlee Kosolofski was discovered frozen at the door to her home. On Feb. 23, 1994, the toddler awoke in the early hours as her father Robert was preparing to go to work. That wasn’t unusual, as Karlee was a light sleeper and enjoyed following her dad around the house. Just prior to leaving for work, Robert tucked Karlee into bed with her mother. An investigation would later determine that Karlee decided to go find her dad and ventured outside. Unfortunately, he had already left, and Karlee was too small to reach the door handle to get back inside the house. Wearing her pajamas, a ski jacket and booths, it wasn’t long before Karlee succumbed to the frigid temperatures, which were estimated to be around -7º F. At 8:00 a.m., some five hours later, Karlee was discovered by her mother Karie who, trained in CPR, tried to resuscitate her daughter, without success. An ambulance was called and what followed has been recorded as something of a medical miracle. Doctors were able to warm Karlee back to life, though the lower part of her left leg had to be amputated. Robert was troubled by the memories for a long time, feeling guilty about what happened. Today, Karlee is a happy 33-year-old living a normal life in Canada. The family says they don’t mark anniversaries of the event, but will never forget the miracle.
