Jim’s Story

Site created on March 24, 2018

On Monday evening, March 19th,  while spending time with friends, Jim suffered from a brain aneurysm and fell around 9pm.  His friends dialed 911 and he was transferred to Willmar hospital.  Upon arrival he was confused but coherent.  An X-Ray and CT Scan revealed the brain aneurysm and a cerebral hemorrhage from the fall.  Willmar realized it was a delicate/serious situation and they had him transferred to St. Cloud hospital.  In route, Jim's condition deteriorated and  CPR was required.  At the St. Cloud Hospital the ER doc informed us this was a life threatening situation and the outcome was unknown but he needed surgery ASAP.  Over the next 4 hours the surgeons placed nearly a dozen coils into the aneurysm to stop the bleeding.   After Surgery he was transferred to ICU for recovery.  That Tuesday morning, as the sedation wore off Jim opened his eyes and seemed very aware of his loved ones surrounding him.   As the hours passed his condition seemed to deteriorate further.  He occasionally would respond to our requests to squeeze our hands, but the doctors felt they needed to relieve the pressure in the brain and drain the fluids.   Thursday morning Jim underwent his second surgery to remove a section of his skull (Craniotomy) to allow the brain space to swell.  During this procedure they also added (3) drain lines to remove the excess fluid.  The surgery went as planned and all were optimistic some improvements would be seen.   The improvements have been short lived - he briefly showed some signs of movement/feeling on his left side.  As the day passed he seemed comfortable but unwilling/unable to respond to voice commands.  On Saturday, a Cranial angiogram was performed to view the aneurysm and remove any visible clots.  The doctors were pleased with what they have seen, but we continue to wait for signs of improvement.  He remains in ICU at St. Cloud Hospital.  

Our entire family thanks each and everyone of you for your kind words, prayers and thoughtful gestures during this time.  We will do our best to keep you all updated with a daily journal update. 

Newest Update

Journal entry by Dan Nygaard


A celebration of Jim's life will be held at 11:00am Thursday April 12th at Nordland Lutheran church rural paynesville.   Visitation will be 5 to 8pm Wednesday April 11th at Nordland church and one hour before the service on Thursday.  
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