Kevin McGrew

Sunday morning, November 25th Kevin awoke with severe abdominal pain. The pain continued to worsen and we soon realized a trip to the ER was necessary. After a few tests Kevin was admitted to the Saint Cloud Hospital with Acute Pancreatitis. He was given pain medication and additional tests were conducted. Over the next couple of days his condition worsened. The pain continued to increase and soon spread to his upper left shoulder area and back. The severe pain rendered him helpless and it wasn’t long before his lung function began to deteriorate. He was moved to ICU late Tuesday night due to breathing difficulty. He was immediately sedated and intubated. He continued to battle various complications over the next couple days: irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, abnormal weight gain, increased abdominal pressure and possible necrosis of the pancreas. Most alarming, his kidneys began to fail. On Saturday, six days after onset, kidney dialysis was initiated. Just when things seemed they could not get any worse his heart went into AFib and his blood pressure bottomed out. The AFib and blood pressure issues continued into that evening, but finally on Monday morning Kevin stabilized. During this small window of calm, the family decided a higher level of care  was necessary, especially given his critical condition. After a brief discussion regarding this development the hospital was informed of our decision to transfer him. The hospital quickly made arrangements and at 6:00 Monday evening,  Kevin was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where he continues to fight his grave condition.  He is being treated in the Mary Brigh ICU on the St. Mary’s Hospital Campus.