While I Breathe, I Hope

Haley Shores, Dorene Abels Shores, Erin Shores Dietz, Kevin Shores

Description

This book was written by multiple family members, from both the perspective of COVID-19 patients and non-patients. The stories outline four immediate family members who contracted COVID-19 simultaneously, during a time when the most aggressive strains were prevalent. It documents three very near-death experiences including comas and dream-like hallucinations and delusions. It follows them through their rehabilitation and salutes the dedicated healthcare workers who cared for them, an outstanding community outreach, and the love of family, friends, and coworkers during a time of intense stress and struggle. It shows the trials and the triumphs in their stories, and the miracles that led to their incredible survival.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Développement personnel
• Vie de famille
• Relations familiales
• développement personnel
• Motivational
• Inspirational
• I Hope
• Self-help
• Health
• Survival
• Family
• Miracle
• Famille

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 06 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798823000031
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE
 
A FAMILY’S BATTLE WITH COVID-19
THE STORIES OF THE MIRACLE THREE
 
 
KEVIN SHORES
 
 
 
 

 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
 
 
© 2023 Kevin Shores. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  02/03/2023
 
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0004-8 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0003-1 (e)
 
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023901677
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
CONTENTS
Dedicated to
Introduction
Family Introductions
ERIN
Preface
Diagnosis
Intubation and Coma
Dreams and Delusions
Waking Up
Discharged Home
Visiting Daddy
Return to Monroe Clinic Hospital
Dad Updates
Kaboom
Outpatient Therapy
Telogen Effluvium
Cardiac Testing
KEVIN
Preface
Freeport Memorial Hospital University of Wisconsin at Madison-TLC
The Killing Nurse
The Cold Box
The Judge
Liam
The Thief
Renewed Vows
Select Specialty Hospital
Van Matre Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital
Getting Home
JOSH
DORENE AND HALEY TIMELINE
Dorene
Chain of events notes gathered from text messages, Emails, Family Medical Updates, Facebook and WebEx calls
Epilogue
The Authors
DEDICATED TO
All the RN’s, CNA’s, Doctors, Occupational and Physical Therapists, Case workers and ECMO Technicians from:
St. Mary’s Hospital of Madison, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Madison TLC
Freeport Memorial Hospital
Monroe Hospital
Select Specialty Hospital (Madison)
Van Matre Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute
Without you we simply wouldn’t be here.
Thomas Alan Shores
(April 10, 1950-February 2, 2022)
Copyright 2022 by Kevin J. Shores
All rights reserved
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, Write to:
Kevin J. Shores
1110 S. Adams Ave,
Freeport, IL 61032
Or e-mail to:
[e-mail]
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to our little piece of family history. Multiple people have contributed to this compilation and thus different formats were used in the writing. As you go from person to person you will notice the style of each of them will be different. It gives each person the ability to tell their story in their own unique way.
There are family members and friend’s names mentioned during the stories who don’t have direct involvement but play parts that contributed to the stress levels and hectic lives some were under during our hospital stays.
The stories here have been compiled by researching all of the notes, texts, Doctors meetings and briefings, WebEx calls and in Kevin’s case from his personal journal he started the day after he woke up. This is how he managed to capture the details so clearly. Erin’s delusions stuck with her to the point she could recreate them on paper as well. While Kevin was at Select, he and Erin decided they would combine each of their stories together in written form should family or their caregivers be interested in knowing what went on in their heads. And if they didn’t at least we would have a record of it and benefit from it therapeutically.
FAMILY INTRODUCTIONS
Kevin – Father of Erin, Haley and Ethan/ Husband of Dorene
Dorene – Mother of Erin, Haley and Ethan/Wife of Kevin
Erin – eldest child and daughter of Kevin and Dorene/ wife of Joshua (Josh)
Haley – second eldest child and daughter of Kevin and Dorene
Ethan - youngest child and son of Kevin and Dorene
Joshua (Josh) – Husband of Erin
Aurora – Fiancée of Ethan (now wife of Ethan)
Samantha (Sam) – “adopted” daughter of Kevin and Dorene/ “twin sister“ to Haley, “sister” to Erin and Ethan
Bob – Brother to Kevin
Gary – Dorene’s Father
Joanne – Dorene’s Mother
Chad – Dorene’s brother
Rusty – Joanne’s cousin- (never married, no offspring)
ERIN
PREFACE
This is my story; the story of my battle with COVID-19. This is true, and the details provided are given to the best of my ability. These events have been pieced together for me by family, friends, chaplains, and medical professionals that took care of me when I was sick.
It documents my journey from diagnosis through therapy. I have been so incredibly blessed this last year. It has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to physically endure and heal from, but I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to get well. So many did not have this opportunity. God honored the prayers of my family and friends and brought me through this virus whole.
Now the air seems lighter, the breeze smells sweeter, and love feels stronger. I’ve found a new joy in this second chance to live. I know there’s a reason I’m still here; a reason God saved my life. I think a huge part of this reason is to show people that God is still the God of Miracles – my family and I are living proof of this! God is the Great Physician, and no matter what the doctors’ reports may say, He has the final word! And thank goodness for that!
I hope you’re able to see God’s Glory in this story, and how He played such an intricate part of our survival and healing. He is the reason we are still here, and the reason we exceeded all expectations every step of the way. Thank you, God, for making a miracle of my life.
DIAGNOSIS
This whole story began on June 10, 2021. We got together for my brother and sister’s birthdays (Their birthdays are June 9 and June 10). Little did we know at that time, something sinister was lurking among us.
Over the next two days, I felt congested and had a little harder time breathing. I thought it was allergies and maybe bronchitis, as I used to get bronchitis several times a year.
On June 12, we got together at my brother Ethan’s house for a barbecue, as he was excited to show us his new house and grill out for us. This day, I received my first clue that something was wrong.
When Ethan brought in the hotdogs he’d grilled, I realized I couldn’t smell them. Anyone who’s ever eaten a hotdog knows that you can smell them cooking a mile away, so I knew that if I could not smell them right under my nose, there was a problem.
Still, I was not too concerned, until I started to feel feverish. I was suddenly freezing and clammy when the air conditioning kicked on, which is not something that is normal for me. I am the queen of air conditioning, as I am always warm.
By June 13, I was finding my chest felt constricted and I felt that I needed to be checked out. My husband Joshua took me to the ER (the doctors’ office and Urgent Care were closed at this time) to get checked out, where the doctor on call diagnosed me with bacterial bronchitis. However, they did decide to do a COVID test, just to be sure. I was prescribed a Z-Pack and was sent home.
By the next morning (June 14), the results were in - I received an email via MyChart, stating that I was positive for SARS-COV-2. My first thought was “Well, crap.” I immediately texted my job to let them know that I would not be in until I had healed from the virus and alerted my family members I’d been around to the situation.
By that evening, I had a fever over 102 that I was unable to get to go down, despite medications and cool compresses. Joshua took me back to the ER, after I called ahead. They brought me in and kept me, admitting me to the COVID wing of the hospital with low Blood Oxygen Saturation. The doctor must have noticed I was sicker than I realized, because he asked me if I had a POA or Living Will. This scared me.

Me in the hospital before being transferred to the ICU.
I told him I had a POA but needed to have it updated so my husband was my primary Power of Attorney, and my Mother was my Secondary. I did this so that if something were to happen to me, the burden of my care would not be on one person’s shoulders alone. This also gave my husband someone to lean on in case tough decisions needed to be made.
The doctor said I needed to have a meeting with my family to discuss my wishes as far as my healthcare and such. He brought in an iPad, and I vaguely remember talking with my family about what I wanted to do. I made it clear that I wanted to live, and that all measures to make this happen should be employed, if needed. This is the last thing I remember, and even that is foggy.
It wasn’t long before I was in Hypoxic Respiratory Failure/ARDS. I was moved to the ICU on June 15 th , where I continued to decline rapidly. My blood oxygen saturation was between 30% and 40% for several hours. But here is where I encountered an amazing RN, named Sam. Sam took care of me while I was scared, and he prayed with me before I was placed into a coma and intubated. I know that must have brought me so much comfort at perhaps the scariest moment of my life to that point. I am so grateful to him for this.

Sam, Josh, and Erin
(pictured post COVID-19 hospitaliza tion)
INTUBATION AND COMA
Most of what I know from this point on, until I woke up, I learned from med