Here is Scott's story and updates will be shared as available. We appreciate all of your love and support during this difficult and confusing time.
Below are the events of Sunday, May 3rd, as told by Amy, Scott's wife.
It is Sunday morning around 7:45 a.m. Scott and I have just finished talking about our plans for the day. Something makes me look at Scott. I'm not sure if it is a noise or what but I instantly know something is wrong with him. He looks like he is having a seizure -- his body is tense and stiff, eyes are closed and mouth locked shut and I can't open it. I try to rouse him but he won't respond. Scott starts to turn grey and I call 911 (phone reflects OB 991 call at 7:52). The 911 dispatcher has problems locating us and asks if we have recently moved. Scott has now turned blue - really blue. The dispatcher confirms she has located the address, help is on the way and we hang up.
I drag Scott off the bed onto the floor so I can perform CPR. While moving him he loses control of his bladder and other bodily fluids and I know I am losing him. While moving his head and shoulders his neck cracks so hard and so many times that I thinkI might have broken it but quickly realize that's probably impossible. Scott is not breathing and I can't find a pulse. I start chess compressions and tell Scott that he needs to stay here with me, that it isn't his time yet and that the boys and I need him. I can feel him slipping away. Every so often he makes this strange and loud gasping sound and hope each time that he will start breathing, but he doesn't.
Soon I hear the sirens coming down the street and before long the crew enters the house. I run out of our bedroom and lead them to Scott. That's when I notice that our 9-month old puppy Maddie is in her kennel right across from Scott. As the crew enters and starts work on Scott, Maddie begins barking. I calm her down but she starts up again as more and more people come into the room and work on Scott. I switch from telling Scott to keep fighting to telling the dog to stop barking. It seems to go on forever.
At one point I am asked to leave the room. I'm told they need to shock Scott. The paramedics shock him twice to get his heart beating. Later I learn that his heart was in a strange arrhythmia that would have killed him. The crew gets Scott ready to leave the house and struggles to get his 6'4" body and stretcher through the door and down the hall. I'm now stuck in the bathroom watching and miraculously they get him through without hitting his head or catching his feet. The ambulance doesn't drive off right away. I start to worry that something has gone wrong. I'm told that Scott had become somewhat responsive in the ambulance and that he had to be sedated for his own good. Finally the ambulance heads off for Regions Hospital, St. Paul.
I can't find the keys, Scott doesn't like me driving his truck, so I borrow the neighbor's van and head to Regions. In the waiting room I'm told they will have an update for me soon and I wait with a scarf tied around my face. A woman comes by and tells me that Scott had a major heart attack and they are concerned that there may be something going on with his brain too. She tells me that I can stay until they have the results of the scan so that I can leave knowing what we are dealing with, I'm not allowed to stay there. I give her a re-count of what happened and some other information. My scarf is soaked from tears and snot and my glasses keep fogging up. I ask if I can take it off and am told I have to have something on my face. The woman leaves and returns with masks. One is kid-sized with Mickey Mouse characters and the other a homemade mask that someone kindly donated. She says I have a small face, hence the child mask, and sure enough the Mickey Mouse mask fits best and I wait. The woman returns again and shares that the brain scan is clear - I let out a huge sigh of relief and head home. I'm given a phone number for the floor that Scott will be taken to. I cannot be with him due to COVID-19 and drive home. I cannot believe what just happened.
A few hours later I check-in with the hospital. They confirm Scott had a strange EKG when he arrived - so heart attack of some kind. Arteries are good and no blockage. The COVID-19 test came back negative. No signs of permanent brain damage. They don't know how long he will be in the hospital.
Late afternoon the nurse sets up a video call. She lets me know that Scott will be repetitive, confused, and agitated. He doesn't remember anything that happened due to anoxia to the brain - loss of oxygen. She further explains that we have to keep it simple and consistent for him. His heart stopped, I did CPR, the ambulance came and he is in the hospital. Then the nurse puts the camera on Scott. This is the first time I have seen him since he was taken out of the house on a stretcher. I notice right away that his color is off and he has an oxygen mask on. It's hard to understand him. The nurse is right -- he is so confused. He asks me why he is there. He says he wants to come home. I tell him the prepared response. He pauses and then says he doesn't know why he is there and wants to go home. I tell him the prepared response again and the same conversation repeats several times.
It's Sunday evening now and our sons Caleb and Isaac return early from hiking in Northern MN. We are surprised when Scott's cell phone rings and the number looks familiar. I notice it from the video call - it's Scott. I think it's good that he figured out how to call AND remembered his phone number. He asks where is his cell phone. I tell him I have it and it is safe. I tell him Caleb and Isaac are home. He asks me where is his cell phone. I tell him it's safe and ask how is he feeling. He asks me where is his cell phone, he needs to call work. I explain that I contacted his work and everything is being taken care of. The boys and I attempt to converse with him but he cannot follow the conversation. He is frustrated and we say good bye. An hour later Scott calls my cell phone number. Happy he remembers it. He asks for his cell phone and the circular conversation from earlier starts up again. He calls me two more times with the same question. I try to be patient and loving, and it's really hard to do.
Hello friends and family. It's the last day of 2020 (yes!) and what a better time to share a final update on Scott's recovery and our journey since May 3rd.
After the no go cardioversion in July, on August 31st Scott had a successful ablation procedure. The misfiring heart cells were zapped and killed and it corrected his irregular heart rhythm. Scott could tell the difference immediately and started planning his next bike ride. What else would he do next?!
Since September Scott has been staying busy biking, golfing and now skiing. His stamina is remarkable and other than going to bed at 9pm (which he did before this all happened - just like to tease him that he's getting old) he is back to his old self. In late October an echocardiogram showed significant improvement to Scott's heart function - ejection fraction is now 50-55%, a healthy heart level. This is from the valve surgery, the medications and stopping alcohol.
Our journey to recovery as a family continues. There are good days and bad days - but that's life, right?!
On this final day of 2020, on behalf of Scott and our family, we share our love and gratitude to you all. Thank you for the well wishes on this site, the cards, text messages, meals, and calls. Your love, support and prayers helped us get through this extremely difficult year - a year that's been so challenging for us all.
Sending big, virtual hugs! Wishing you health and happiness in 2021. Happy New Year!
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