Ronald's Story
When 74 year-old Ronald Gourley contracted COVID-19, he was determined nothing would stand in his way to get back to the place he loves most – home.
After experiencing shortness of breath and being diagnosed with multifocal pneumonia, he was admitted to Medical City Denton. Initially, Ronald was placed in a low-acuity unit where he required supplemental oxygen but as his condition significantly deteriorated, he was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). There, he was placed on a breathing tube and prone mechanical ventilation, when a patient is kept on their stomach in order to maintain adequate oxygen levels in their blood.
Ronald’s hospital stay was further complicated by resistant bacterial urinary tract infections with septicemia, acute renal failure, gastrointestinal bleeding and metabolic encephalopathy. Eventually, his condition stabilized enough that he could receive a tracheostomy and PEG tube placement to receive adequate nutrition.
After being hospitalized for a month-and-a-half at Medical City Denton, Ronald was transferred to Select Specialty Hospital – Dallas for extended healing and recovery.
Throughout his ordeal, Ron’s daughter Stephanie, never left his side. She remained a constant advocate for her dad and never gave up hope. She saw him through his setbacks and successes along with his wife – Squickie.
The Select Specialty Hospital team, comprised of physicians, nurses, respiratory, physical, occupational and speech therapists created a plan to liberate Ron from the ventilator and address his bouts of confusion, muscle atrophy and weight loss due to the toll the virus had taken during his initial hospitalization.
“My dad went from being the strongest man I knew who could fix anything to someone who became totally dependent on others as well as having to relearn basic activities of daily living. It was frightening to see all those changes with him,” said Stephanie. “Our family maintained our faith during this difficult journey. We never lost hope, and we stayed the course resolving to see dad recover from COVID-19.”
Shortly after Ronald’s arrival, the respiratory therapy team was able to retire the ventilator and proceed with tracheostomy weaning. With this progress, Ron’s physical and occupational therapists worked on rebuilding core strength and stamina so he could begin to resume daily living activities. His speech therapist conducted a swallow test and conducted exercises to ensure it was safe to transition back to a normal diet.
After meeting all of his goals, Ron was discharged to Select Rehabilitation Hospital in Denton to continue rebuilding his strength and independence to perform personal care tasks.
When asked what he looks forward to most when returning home, Ronald replied: “Getting back to the barber to get spruced up, regaining my independence, and spending time with my grandkids.”