The Best Day of My Second Life

Early this year, Larry and Becky were looking forward to their daughter’s wedding in May, after two years of planning and anticipation. This was a truly wonderful and exciting time for their family. Larry’s suit was selected and there were just a few last-minute preparations to take care of. Reflecting on how the months leading up to the wedding would unfold, they discovered that they had so much more to be thankful for than uniting their daughter, Brooke, and her soon-to-be husband, Andrew.

Larry and Becky are active people and had always stayed on top of their health, seeing their personal doctors regularly and a specialist if needed. Their overall well-being is a top priority, and they feel that Network Health made it easy for them to schedule appointments, take care of claims or file for reimbursements.

“We started this insurance when we retired in 2020 and we’ve always loved it. We loved it from the get-go,” Becky explained. Being diagnosed as diabetic at age 39, Larry took charge of his health by jogging early on. At age 50, he switched to walking and biking. He walked five to six miles every day, no matter the weather, and Becky joined him most days. They enjoy walking the trails near their home in Menasha or on the treadmill in the basement.

When Larry visited his doctor in January, they discovered a heart condition that he was likely born with. Since he had no identifiable symptoms, and their family already had a busy couple of months ahead of them, they agreed to meet in June to check his heart again and reevaluate his options.

Their daughter, Brooke, lives in Austin, Texas and came home in April to tie up last-minute needs with her parents for the wedding. She planned to work remotely for the week while she was home in Wisconsin.

On the morning of April 13, Brooke began her morning and caught up with her dad as she returned from a walk. Larry indicated that he was about to go for a brisk walk of his own and headed downstairs to the treadmill. Becky stayed on the main level of the home and was relaxing with the television while Brooke began her workday.

She was on a work call when she heard a commotion. Her mom was yelling but she did not initially think much of it. Brooke describes her mom as someone who enjoys being goofy and likes to joke around. She assumed her parents were being silly with each other. She became more alarmed as she realized the yelling sounded more like screaming. Brooke excused herself from the call to check on them. She found Larry on his back near the foot of the treadmill, non-responsive and Becky was over the top of him, screaming and shaking him.

Brooke still had her phone in her hand and dialed 911 immediately after assessing the situation. She directed her mom to start CPR. Larry had passed out from a diabetic low before, so it was initially unclear what the cause of the emergency was. Becky was in shock and continued to shake and yell at Larry, trying to rouse him. Brooke took CPR training a few times but never had to put it into practice. She jumped into action and quickly took over from her distressed mom. She performed chest compressions while on speaker with 911 dispatch for seven minutes until the paramedics arrived to relieve her. During the time Brooke was performing CPR, Larry took a few gasping breaths but did not open his eyes.

“He could not have fallen more perfectly for people to work on him,” Becky explained. The paramedics assessed Larry and began life-saving actions, preparing to use an AED. At that point, Brooke took her mom upstairs to call her brother Luke. Larry was eventually resuscitated but was confused and agitated as they transported him on the stretcher and to the ambulance. Part of his confusion stemmed from the pain he was experiencing. He likely suffered a concussion from hitting his head on his way to the floor.

For the first few days in the hospital, he remained disoriented. Becky, Brooke and Luke did their best to recount the events to him and keep him up to date on family news, but he remained confused and did not remember that he owned a treadmill, that Brooke was planning her wedding or where he was and why he was there. Complicating the situation more, Larry tested positive for COVID, so four hours after Larry arrived in the emergency room that first day, they all had to make the difficult trip back home. For the next ten days, the family was not able to see him while he was recovering in isolation, but they got creative and found ways to connect with Larry to support him, so he did not feel alone. They each took turns talking through the door or on the phone, waving through the window in the ICU and texting.