Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

A Christmas Miracle

Reisenauer recounts his battle with COVID-19

It's a Christmas miracle! Randy Reisenauer of New Rockford, who was airlifted to Fargo's Sanford Medical Center a few days before Halloween due to COVID-19, celebrated Christmas at home with his family.

Even in the midst of his toughest days, Randy's family held tight to the notion that he would recover. And he was determined to be home for Christmas. The week of Thanksgiving, he had a major setback while hospitalized, and his family thought they might lose him. Yet, he is convinced it was by the grace of God that he was able to make it home on Dec. 23, just in time to celebrate two miracles: the birth of Jesus, and his recovery.

The nearly three-month ordeal began in early October, when both he and his wife JoLynn got sick. They both tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 22, two weeks after coming down with the illness, and were told to go home and quarantine.

One week later, on Oct. 28, Randy couldn't breathe. They took him to St. Alexius Health in Carrington for medical attention. He was placed on continuous oxygen for eight hours and then airlifted to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo.

His daughters, RaeLynn and Jessica, took turns posting regular updates via Facebook, and from the beginning they, too, leaned on their faith.

Two days after Randy was hospitalized and put on a ventilator, RaeLynn wrote, "Today we choose gratitude for healthcare workers who show us compassion. Gratitude for our mom's health, which is slowly returning."

At the end of the first full week he was hospitalized, on Saturday, Nov. 6, RaeLynn saw another sign of hope, a double rainbow outside her dad's hospital room. "God holds us especially close in our hardest moments and gives us things to remind us He loves us," she wrote.

Relatives, friends and community members were a constant sign of God's presence at work.

Craig and Lori Demester took care of their youngest son C.J.'s children, who all attend school at NR-S, while the family focused on Randy's recovery. "She was an angel sent by God," Randy says of Lori. He and JoLynn said he knew they were well cared for as soon as she picked them up.

Other neighbors delivered supplies and medications to Fargo and cleaned out their yard and driveway when it snowed. Niece Abby Makay and sister-in-law Celia gave JoLynn rides to and from the hospital in Fargo, because she didn't feel comfortable driving in the city. JoLynn stayed with Celia and her family for a time as well.

On Veteran's Day, St. John's Catholic Church in New Rockford held a prayer service for Randy, asking God for his complete healing. The prayers were certainly needed, as Randy's care team was preparing to ease him off the ventilator. The church held a fundraiser breakfast for the family as well.

RaeLynn was positive, yet fully aware of the challenges to come. "This week will be hard on dad, we know that.... coming off a vent is hard. But he can do this. We are here to hold his hands and pray for continued improvement so that soon we can hear his voice..."

By mid-November, Randy was moved off the isolation floor, giving his family more opportunity to visit, two at a time. "I love watching mom literally run to the elevator with excitement for her next 'date' with dad," RaeLynn recalled at the time.

A big setback the week before Thanksgiving was especially hard on the Reisenauer family. Randy's chest x-ray on Nov. 20 showed that he had bacterial pneumonia on top of his COVID-induced viral pneumonia. After looking at the chest x-rays, "the doctor told us he didn't think dad would ever get off of a ventilator," Jessica recalled. "It was one of the scariest days of my life."

They had just lost Randy's sister Bonnie to COVID-19 on November 15, "and we were terrified we'd lose dad!" Jessica said. Bonnie had been on a ventilator in a Bismarck hospital for four weeks before Randy was hospitalized.

Randy began to show signs of improvement a few days later, and it was all uphill from there. On November 23, he returned a shoulder hug from RaeLynn by resting his head on hers. "I can't describe the feeling it gave me except pure joy and the wish that we could will him forward to full health," she posted that day. "This Thanksgiving break, we are thankful for the support of family, our work families and dear friends. And we're holding tight for dad. We believe in you papa."

The hardest time for Randy was when he became conscious. He was quite weak, and he had trouble communicating. "I had no muscles. I couldn't even lift my hands or my head in bed. That was the most terrifying feeling," he recounted.

As it was nearly impossible to speak with a trach, he was given a whiteboard. However, he couldn't muster the strength to write, so he began to use sign language. He had learned to sign because his mother was deaf. A nurse recognized his attempts and began to communicate with him in sign language, which made a big difference!

As the Advent season began, Randy became keenly aware of his condition. On the second day of Advent, he asked where his truck was, and he was reminded that he was in the hospital. He asked to stand, and was told he needed to sit before he could stand. The next day, his right lung collapsed a second time. However, a new chest tube was just what he needed to get back on the road to recovery.

On Santa Day in New Rockford (Dec. 4), his grandchildren enjoyed the carnival and visits with Santa. Daughter Jessica said it was a relief to do something normal with the kids and was grateful for his progress. Meanwhile, at Sanford, he too, was filled with holiday spirit. "His beard is full and his eyes are twinkling today as he grins," RaeLynn wrote. When asked if his beard needed a trim, he winked and asked how long it had been. "It's been a minute," RaeLynn replied.

His vent was removed Dec. 6, and by the end of the week he was well enough to express gratitude of his own for all the prayers and well wishes. "I'm about the luckiest man in the world, and I just wanted to say thank you all. They're working!" he beamed in a Facebook video posted Dec. 10.

That weekend, he got to see his grandkids for the first time in seven and one-half weeks. He told them, "your hugs are the best medicine!"

"I asked them what they wanted for Christmas," Randy recalled. "They all said, we want you home for Christmas!" That was all the motivation he needed to push forward.

In mid-December, Randy's care team offered him a chance to leave the hospital for an intensive, two-week program at a physical rehab center. However, he had plans of his own, and he informed his doctor that he intended to be home for Christmas. So, they increased his inpatient physical therapy and fired back a challenge: in order to get home for Christmas, he needed to prove he could walk a reasonable distance in a walker and climb a few stairs.

Challenge accepted! He said when the nurses told him to slow down, he fired back. "I looked at my daughter and said, 'I've been tired before, but I never quit,'" Randy declared.

On Dec. 21, he walked 180 feet twice and was shown walking up stairs in a short video clip. "Well, it's looking like we will be going home by Christmas Eve!" JoLynn exclaimed. And by the afternoon of Dec. 23, he was in his easy chair, with a grin on his face.

Although he is home, he has a fair amount of recovery work ahead. "He has a long way to go yet," JoLynn said Monday. "He had to learn to walk again."

"I'm getting better every day. I'm taking steps without the walker a little bit," Randy added. I have no lung capacity yet, so I lose a lot of oxygen trying to walk. I'm on oxygen 24 hours a day."

One thing is certain, however: he's grateful to be home with his family once again.

"It's a second chance that I'm not going to waste," he concluded.