Connie Bachert

An army of prayer warriors has been sending up a great chorus of prayers for fast healing and strength for Connie. Connie is loved more than perhaps any human we know. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Fred is tired but full of faith and "strong like bull."


In December 2016, Connie became sick with an upper respiratory tract infection. Several weeks later, she still had the respiratory infection and began a relapse of GI bleeding and nausea related to her colitis. Most people were unaware that she was diagnosed with colitis last May, as this was very personal to her. Weakened by both illnesses, her condition continued to worsen. On Sunday, January 29, she appeared languid and sluggish, which prompted her admittance to GHS downtown. Upon arrival, her condition declined quickly. By the early hours of Monday morning, she was comatose. The scans showed bleeding in her brain. She was suffering from a less prevalent form of stroke, a Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST).


Caring friends who are part of the medical community stepped in to assure that she is receiving the best care possible. Cancer has been ruled out. She is in the Neuro ICU, being closely monitored by the best team to keep her stable and allow her body to clear the clots, in her brain and elsewhere in her body, and closely monitor the blood thinners which are being administered to ensure that other clots do not form or enlarge. It will be a long process, and, for now, there is not a good way to determine "how long ..until she is out of danger/home and hosting bridge club/walking her first 10K?" Only God knows the answers to our myriad of questions.


Miraculous healing has begun in her brain. In the first days following the stroke, she showed signs that she was trying to return to us. On Tuesday she opened her eyes and smiled, and is now verbally communicating with her doctors, nurses, family and friends. Her left side is working fairly well, and she is slowly regaining feeling and some movement in her right extremities. 


The colitis is another story. On Saturday, surgeons successfully performed an endoscopic ligation to cauterize a bleed they found in the ascending colon. They were able to stop an arterial bleed, which improved her hemoglobin levels, alertness, etc., for a few days. Unfortunately, on Wednesday, February 8, they had to remove her colon. She came through the surgery, and is recovering back in in her Neuro ICU room.


The family truly appreciates your support, prayers, words of hope and encouragement.  


This is a free site (though they ask for donations, they would not go to the family). The web address is accessible to everyone, and can be found by searching for Connie Bachert/Caring Bridge.