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Carol’s Story

Site created on June 21, 2018

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. This is the site for our mom and grandma Carol Shearer. On Tuesday, June 19, Carol was getting over what she described as a "stomach flu." She had been feeling better, but on Tuesday morning, as she fixed herself some breakfast, she was overwhelmed by severe abdominal pain. She was transported by ambulance to Mayo Northland, where they determined that she was in the midst of a heart attack. They called in the helicopter team to transport her to Luther Hospital in Eau Claire. However, the abdominal pain didn't add up, so before the flight arrived to pick her up, they took a CT scan and discovered that she likely had a perforated bowel. Her pressure was dropping dramatically, so we are extremely grateful to the emergency team at Northland and the flight crew, who moved her out quickly, and kept her with us until they landed. She was rushed into emergency surgery at Luther, and now we are on a long, long journey back to wellness. She is currently in the Critical Care Unit at Luther, and is being kept in a medically induced coma to keep her pain-free and to speed healing. They periodically give her what they call "sedation holidays," and the last time she was awake, we told her about the outpouring from all of you. Check for updates to see how she is doing, and when she can receive visitors. In the meantime, we appreciate your prayers, your support, and your words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Mary Shearer — Jul 26, 2018

She's home! ...and boy, is she glad to be there! Mom arrived back at home around 12:30 this afternoon, and is back to living independently. She looks forward to seeing all of her friends and family, and will gladly welcome visitors, as she is not yet driving. Just give her a call to let her know you're coming, and to be sure she will be home (she has follow-up appointments, a self-care regimen to maintain, etc.) This is the miracle we all prayed for from the beginning, and we are so grateful for everyone's love and support. It's a happy day today.

Read More of the journal titled "Thursday, July 26 - Final Update"

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