TONIGHT'S
TONIGHT'S BREAKING THE NEWS. WHEN
WHEN
WHEN >>
WHEN >> YOU TURN ON ANY NEWSCAST,
WE OFTEN THROW A LOT
OF STATISTICS AT YOU, ESPECIALLY
AS WE TELL YOU ABOUT HOW COLD IT
IS IMPACTING OUR STATE.
BUT THERE ARE REAL PEOPLE BEHIND
ALL OF THOSE NUMBERS. AND THAT'S
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON
FOR THE FIRST PART OF OUR SHOW.
YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW TREATMENTS
ARE IMPROVING FOR PEOPLE WHO GET
COVERED . THE MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TELLS US
THAT MORE THAN 240000 MINESOTANS
HAVE RECOVERED. BUT AGAIN, NOT
ALL OF THEM SHARE THE SAME
JOURNEY. FOR MANY IN THE ICU,
THE TERM SURVIVOR COMES WITH A
COST. HERE'S KENT ALONG HAS
CHANGED IN THE FOUR MONTHS SINCE
GREG BODEN CAME HOME FROM
THE HOSPITAL. BUT THAT DAY
IN LATE JULY WILL ALWAYS BE
DEFINED IN ONE WAY BY HIS WIFE.
SUE
SUE
SUE >>
SUE >> WAS ABSOLUTELY A MIRACLE.
I MEAN A EVERY DAY AND EVERY
NIGHT I'D LAY IN BED AND THINK
ABOUT WHEN WHEN THAT DAY WAS
GOING TO COME
>>. BY THE TIME HE RETURNED
HOME, GREG'S BODY WAS WEARY FROM
A 54 DAY BATTLE WITH COVID 19
IN THE ICU AT BETHESDA, FOLLOWED
BY MULTIPLE SURGERIES
AND ANOTHER MONTH OF REHAB. DR.
>> SHARON , THE SURGEON WHO
OPERATED ON MY LUNGS, LOOKED AT
ME WHEN I LEFT AND I ASKED
WHAT'S WRONG? AND HE SAYS YOU
OUGHT TO BE COUNTING THEIR
BLESSINGS BECAUSE MOST EVERY
OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT HAVE
SURVIVED THIS. SO I WAS REALLY
HAPPY. I GOT I GOT HOME.
BUT EVEN IN THOSE FIRST MOMENTS
OF JOY WITH HIS FAMILY AND HIS
EMOTIONAL REUNION WITH HIS DOG
BODEY, GREG SAYS HE HAD MIXED
FEELINGS ABOUT HIS MIRACLE.
>> WAS WALKING INTO CHAIRS
AND TABLES AND I COULDN'T
NAVIGATE FOR A WHILE
>>. DID YOU REALLY TRULY
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'D BEEN
THROUGH AT
THROUGH AT >> POINT ? NO, NO. THERE WAS
SNOW ON THE GROUND WHEN I GOT
TAKEN OUT OF MY HOUSE. WE WENT
ALL SUMMER AND INTO THIS. YEAH,
ALL SUMMER. GREG BELIEVES
HE CONTRACTED COVID WHILE
WORKING HIS JOB AS A RESPIRATORY
THERAPIST IN A REHAB FACILITY
EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC. BUT HE
DIDN'T BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND
THE TOLL IT TOOK UNTIL RECENTLY
>>. I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE
ON A VENTILATOR. I'VE MONITORED
TLONG MECHANICS FOR PATIENTS
FOR A CAREER. I HEARD WHAT MY
VENTILATOR SETTINGS WERE
AND THAT'S A BAD, BAD SIGN. WHEN
I HEARD
I HEARD
I HEARD >> SUE, AN ICU COORDINATOR AT
ST. JOE'S WOULD LATER SHOW HIM
HER NOTES AND TELL HIM ABOUT HOW
HE'D DEVELOPED DOUBLE PNEUMONIA
WHILE COVID ATTACKED GALBLADDER
AND CONTRIBUTED TO TWO STROKES
WHICH HELPED EXPLAIN WHY HE FELT
SO HELP LESS. I COULDN'T FEED
MYSELF . MY WIFE DID EVERYTHING
REALLY. AND EVEN AS HE BEGAN
TO IMPROVE PHYSICALLY THROUGH
THE SUMMER, REGAINING HIS
INDEPENDENCE, GREG BATTLED PTSD
AND DEPRESSION, REALIZING HE'D
NEVER WORK AGAIN.
>> USED TO BE SOMEONE AT IT DID
A LOT IN THE HOSPITAL. YOU
MANAGED VENTILATOR DEPENDENT
PATIENTS AND NOW YOU'RE BROKEN
DOWN TO THIS VERY SMALL PIECE
THAT GETS TRIPPED UP ON FOURTH
GRADE READING AND WRITING IT AS
IF YOU DON'T. YOU DID NOT GET
A CHANCE TO GRIEVE FOR THE
PERSON YOU ARE . YOU WENT
RIGHT TO WHAT YOU ARE NOW. YOU
NEVER GOT TO SAY GOODBYE. TO THE
GUY WHO USED TO RUN THROUGH
THE WOODS WITH HIS DOG EVERY
NIGHT. THAT'S ALL DONE
>> IN TIME. GREG BEGAN
TO EMBRACE HIS SECOND CHANCE
>>. YOU'RE A GOOD BOY , AREN'T
YOU?
YOU?
YOU? >>
YOU? >> HE SAYS IT'S THANKS TO THE
SUPPORT OF HIS FAMILY AND A
NEW PROGRAM OFFERED BY HIS
DOCTOR. AND SHE TALKED ABOUT
A SURVIVOR WHO SEEMED LIKE
A REALLY GOOD THING. HE ENROLLED
>> IN A NEW ONLINE ICU
SURVIVORSHIP CLINIC THROUGH MPLS
FAIRVIEW, WHICH HELPS PATIENTS
DEAL WITH THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL
AND EMOTIONAL REALITY
OF RECOVERY. GREG SAYS
IT'S HELPED HIM TRULY UNDERSTAND
WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW FAR HE'S
CAUGHT.
CAUGHT.
CAUGHT. >> HIS 30 DAYS DO YOU FEEL LIKE
A MIRACLE? I DO. I DO NOW .
I DO.
I DO.
I DO. >>
I DO. >> AND HE HAS A MESSAGE FOR ANY
OTHER SURVIVORS STILL
QUESTIONING THEIR OWN MIRACLE.
EVERY DAY YOU'RE GOING TO GET
STRONGER. YOUR LIFE IS GOING GET
BETTER. IT IS GOING TO GET
BETTER
BETTER
BETTER >>. GREG HAS BEEN THROUGH SO
MUCH CLEARLY. HE SAYS HE OWES
A LOT TO THAT SURVIVORSHIP
CLINIC ESPECIALLY FOR FILLING
IN THE BLANKS AND HELPING
WITH THERAPY THROUGH THAT PTSD.
NOW COMING ON KARE11 TONIGHT AT
10 O'CLOCK, WE'RE GOING TO DOVE
DEEPER INTO THAT CLINIC AND WHY
DEMAND FOR IT RIGHT NOW IS LIKE
SOMETHING THEY'VE NEVER SEEN.
DANA
DANA
DANA >>
DANA >> KENT , SOME OF THE PROBLEMS
THAT GREG TALKED ABOUT ARE THOSE
COMMON FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE
BEEN IN THE ICU
>>? THEY ACTUALLY ARE A LOT
OF THOSE SPECIFIC TYPICALLY WHEN
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PTSD
AND SOME OF THE COMPLICATIONS
THAT HE SUFFERED. AND THAT, BY
THE WAY, ISN'T JUST FOR COVID
PATIENTS, BUT ANYONE THAT SPENT
A LOT OF TIME ON LIFE SUPPORT.
THE PROBLEM RIGHT NOW IS
THAT THERE ARE SO MANY PATIENTS
,SO MANY MORE ON LIFE SUPPORT
FOR SO MUCH LONGER THAT THEY'RE
SEEING THIS