Journal entry by Monica Henriksen —
It's been a while but good evening friends and family -
3 months ago today. On Friday, March 13th - which is totally appropriate - Martin was at home, realized he was very sick and called 911. He was taken to Evergreen Hospital and then moved to Overlake Hospital the same night. He was put in the isolation room on Covid Row, sedated, paralyzed, intubated, proned, had blood drawn constantly, fed intravenously, even given a transfusion at one time. He suffered from a collapsed lung so they put a tube in him. He got pneumonia from the ventilator so he was given antibiotics. He was given the Z pack, hydroxychloroquine and anything else that was trending in the treatment of Covid. Some of these are controversial treatments - not sufficient data to know if they would work or not - but no one was prepared for this so scientists started using their God-given brains to try to figure out what could be done to fight this evil. What a gnarly couple of months it's been since they put a name to the sickness spreading around the world. I was diagnosed with it and twice my doctor's office released me to work. Twice they missed the mark. Thank God for that still, small voice that says you really should get that checked out. Good times. I went on quarantine like so many others. I was lucky. I never got really sick - thought I had a bad case of allergies. There's a lot of us like that around the world. Then there's the asymptomatic people who are on a whole 'nother level.
Between Kendra's communication with the doctors and nurses and mine - we learned things we never thought we'd ever know. I got fitted for one of those coveted N95 masks. I got to visit Martin a couple of times in the isolation room - because they thought he was dying. More good times. I got cornered by a couple of doctors to take Martin off the ventilator and pump him full of morphine. He'd transition comfortably. Uh - no. Hard no because - outside of
Overlake - people were praying and hoping, spreading the word and offering any help they could. God was at work - it's the only explanation. Dr. Markezich told me one day that they can't seem to catch a break with this guy. My faith was building and others that were following this story on Caring Bridge - who already had great faith - were just getting started doing battle. We turned a corner around that time. A wonderful, Godly man that we know believed that God had impressed on him that there would be no more setbacks and from that day on their were none. God was at work - and again - the only explanation. So many more stories within the story to tell and it's not over yet.
Martin was released from Kindred and came home last Wednesday. 🙌 His friend Dan from work picked him up. He was in hospital for almost 3 whole months. He's home and now I have a roommate I have to contend with. Now I have to think about what to make for dinner. He's using so much toilet paper. 😩 Extra dishes to wash. He leaves the darn toilet seat up not to mention the rig that Sue bought to install on the toilet seat so that Martin could get himself up from it. He's eating all that yogurt that I just bought. First World problems right? Good problems to have considering where we were about 2 months ago - before Martin got moved to "regular" ICU. Martin is home, learning how to get around. He's still on oxygen because his lungs aren't completely healed up. He lost a lot of weight so he's weak but he's doing better and better each day and he's really happy with any progress that he makes. He uses a walker to get around & sometimes a cane. He'll be independent of these soon. He's so very thankful that he's still here. He's wondering what's it all about. Aren't a lot of us wondering the same thing?
We're adjusting like so many others out there and so thankful to be where we're at. Most important though - we are forever grateful for all the support from the amazing people that we've had the pleasure of being related to, people we work with or used to work with, go to church with or even go to school with. To have been the recipient of all the well wishes and prayers has been beautiful.
Thank you - just thank you all and God bless abundantly! Let's keep this going. The world needs hope.
3 months ago today. On Friday, March 13th - which is totally appropriate - Martin was at home, realized he was very sick and called 911. He was taken to Evergreen Hospital and then moved to Overlake Hospital the same night. He was put in the isolation room on Covid Row, sedated, paralyzed, intubated, proned, had blood drawn constantly, fed intravenously, even given a transfusion at one time. He suffered from a collapsed lung so they put a tube in him. He got pneumonia from the ventilator so he was given antibiotics. He was given the Z pack, hydroxychloroquine and anything else that was trending in the treatment of Covid. Some of these are controversial treatments - not sufficient data to know if they would work or not - but no one was prepared for this so scientists started using their God-given brains to try to figure out what could be done to fight this evil. What a gnarly couple of months it's been since they put a name to the sickness spreading around the world. I was diagnosed with it and twice my doctor's office released me to work. Twice they missed the mark. Thank God for that still, small voice that says you really should get that checked out. Good times. I went on quarantine like so many others. I was lucky. I never got really sick - thought I had a bad case of allergies. There's a lot of us like that around the world. Then there's the asymptomatic people who are on a whole 'nother level.
Between Kendra's communication with the doctors and nurses and mine - we learned things we never thought we'd ever know. I got fitted for one of those coveted N95 masks. I got to visit Martin a couple of times in the isolation room - because they thought he was dying. More good times. I got cornered by a couple of doctors to take Martin off the ventilator and pump him full of morphine. He'd transition comfortably. Uh - no. Hard no because - outside of
Overlake - people were praying and hoping, spreading the word and offering any help they could. God was at work - it's the only explanation. Dr. Markezich told me one day that they can't seem to catch a break with this guy. My faith was building and others that were following this story on Caring Bridge - who already had great faith - were just getting started doing battle. We turned a corner around that time. A wonderful, Godly man that we know believed that God had impressed on him that there would be no more setbacks and from that day on their were none. God was at work - and again - the only explanation. So many more stories within the story to tell and it's not over yet.
Martin was released from Kindred and came home last Wednesday. 🙌 His friend Dan from work picked him up. He was in hospital for almost 3 whole months. He's home and now I have a roommate I have to contend with. Now I have to think about what to make for dinner. He's using so much toilet paper. 😩 Extra dishes to wash. He leaves the darn toilet seat up not to mention the rig that Sue bought to install on the toilet seat so that Martin could get himself up from it. He's eating all that yogurt that I just bought. First World problems right? Good problems to have considering where we were about 2 months ago - before Martin got moved to "regular" ICU. Martin is home, learning how to get around. He's still on oxygen because his lungs aren't completely healed up. He lost a lot of weight so he's weak but he's doing better and better each day and he's really happy with any progress that he makes. He uses a walker to get around & sometimes a cane. He'll be independent of these soon. He's so very thankful that he's still here. He's wondering what's it all about. Aren't a lot of us wondering the same thing?
We're adjusting like so many others out there and so thankful to be where we're at. Most important though - we are forever grateful for all the support from the amazing people that we've had the pleasure of being related to, people we work with or used to work with, go to church with or even go to school with. To have been the recipient of all the well wishes and prayers has been beautiful.
Thank you - just thank you all and God bless abundantly! Let's keep this going. The world needs hope.
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