Patient Grateful for Care After Beating COVID-19

“They are the nicest people, and I don’t know where I’d be without them. You know, I don’t go to the hospital very often, and I don’t expect to be treated like a king, but they were very sympathetic. I would recommend that place to anybody.”

Fred Ohrt had COVID-19, and there were a few nights where the shortness of breath seemed to be getting the best of him. Sensing the worst one evening, he told his wife, Jackie, he didn’t think he was going to make it.

Fortunately, Fred’s story has a happy ending. After nearly a week at UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown, the 77-year-old is back home and well on his way to recovery.

Looking back, there are many things that come to Fred’s mind – when he learned he was positive for the virus, when his wife rushed him to the ER, and several long nights where sleep was impossible because of shortness of breath.

One memory seems to override the rest, though – how well he was received by his caregivers at the hospital.

“They are the nicest people, and I don’t know where I’d be without them,” said Fred. “You know, I don’t go to the hospital very often, and I don’t expect to be treated like a king, but they were very sympathetic. I would recommend that place to anybody.”

At that point, Fred had already tested positive for COVID-19 and was doing his best to self-isolate and recover. However, it was a pulse oximeter that ultimately sent him to the ER. Blood oxygen levels under 90 are a key measurement for determining when to go to the ER. Fred’s kept coming up 88. Once admitted, he leaned on the encouragement of the employees and his family, who visited by phone (as routine visitors were not allowed).

“Even though he wasn’t feeling well, he was always kind and tried to maintain a sense of humor,” recalled Karrie Lisboa, ARNP. “He didn’t have much of an appetite and mentioned that a candy bar sounded good, so I happily supplied him with some candy and a slice of my birthday cake.”

“What a blessing she was,” Fred said of Lisboa and his other caregivers.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like to be so sick and not have your family or friends by your side,” Lisboa said. “On the day of his discharge, Fred was so relieved to be going home he teared up, and I gave him a hug in full PPE. COVID-19 has been tough on all of us, but Fred absolutely made my week.”

Fred has been recovering at home since his discharge on May 8. Family and friends even celebrated his homecoming in a socialdistancing-kind-of-way. Fred took a seat in his driveway while everyone drove by the house, honked and stopped to talk from the street.

“So that was pretty good encouragement right there,” Fred said.

Q&A with Dr. Lance VanGundy ER Medical Director

Dr. Lance VanGundy, Dr. Blaine Westemeyer and Brandy Reints, ARNP, from the ER at UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown

• Graduated from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon in 1991 with a double major in biology and anthropology, cum laude.

• Graduated University of Iowa Medical School in 1995.

• Attended North Iowa Mercy Health Center Family Medicine residency in Mason City, and subsequently sought ER training through the American Board of Physician Specialists in

Emergency Medicine in 2014

• Certifications include ACLS, ATLS, PALS certified.

• Medical Director of the ER in Marshalltown and the surrounding

EMS communities for nearly 20 years. Q. WHERE ARE YOU FROM

ORIGINALLY? A. I moved to Marshalltown in the first grade and graduated Marshalltown High School, married a

Marshalltown gal and returned here to practice in 1998.

Q. WHY DID YOU BECOME A

PROVIDER? A. My dad was a family doctor who sewed up my foot laceration two hours before a football game, and I still got to play. I wanted to be able to do the same thing for my family and friends.

Q. WHAT QUALITIES BEST DESCRIBE

THE CARE YOU PROVIDE TO

PATIENTS? A. I try to be humble and listen, and I try to check my assumptions at the door and meet every patient right where they are without judgment.

Q. ARE THERE ANY FUN FACTS

ABOUT YOU? A. I’m a sci-fi/fantasy geek and I’m active in the fantasy novel-writing community. I want to be buried with used Zeno’s Pizza boxes – to take that deliciousness with me to the afterworld! If my fantasy novel sells a million, I told my daughter (who is a graphic designer and the book’s cover artist) that I would get the cover in a sleeve tattoo!

Q. WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND

PERSONAL INTERESTS? A. Fantasy novel writing, landscaping, travel and experiencing other cultures. I am a total foodie, but I consider pineapple and other sweet fruit on pizza somewhat of a heretical crime.