Medina, Ohio
Dad wasn’t afraid and I knew he’d be with Jesus and his brothers.
My Father Gary Yappel died two days before Christmas.
Advised To Go To The ER
“He sounded great and was joking with his 95-year-old roommate and loving the nurses.”
On Friday, December 3rd, we were walking our dogs laughing and joking. Dad thought he was getting a cold. Then Sunday I thought I was getting a cold and I noticed Dad starting to cough. On the 4th day, Dad and I both think we have the flu along with four other family members that think they have the flu as well. Three days later, six of us are feeling pretty bad and sick. We all had horrendous coughs, great fatigue, sneezing, fevers, some had burning eyes, and were nauseous. Everyone but myself went to Quick Med to get tested.
Quick med Clinic said everyone was positive with Covid and my Dad was advised to immediately go to the ER or they would call the squad. I was too sick to drive, was dizzy, dehydrated, and nauseous. So, he was dropped off at the nearest ER. On Dec 11th, Dad was already admitted and put on 3 L of oxygen and that’s all I was told. They actually started him on Remdesivir and I’m still waiting on his records to see what else they put him on, maybe a steroid too. DAD knew he didn’t want Remdesivir, but I’m sure he was confused. I’m his POA and was not told. He sounded great and was joking with his 95-year-old roommate and loving the nurses.
Not Allowed In
Three days later his oxygen levels started to tank and he was put on more and more oxygen, which ended up to 60 Liters. I was not allowed in. Sometime in the middle of the night, they transferred Dad to the ICU. I had them put in his chart to call me no matter what time of day/night because I only lived 2 blocks away and sleep with the phone in my ear and dressed. 8-10 hours later when I woke up to check on him, I found out he was transferred. NOBODY TOLD ME!
Two or 3 days later (it’s a blur) even though I finally got tested on the 13th and it came out negative, they still wouldn’t let me see my Dad. I called him twice a day and he still sounded pretty darn good. Joking and laughing. I asked for them to allow him a video chat with the iPad I know they have in the ICU. The next day they obliged and he looked pretty good even though on lots of oxygen. His O2 levels would go up and down.
The Vent
"He was sedated, vented, and paralyzed."
I called once per shift and got “well what do you want to know?” and I said EVERYTHING! Again, nothing was told about Remdesivir or how he was really doing other than he’s stable. Then around the 17th, they call me at 10 pm to see if I wanted to put him on a ventilator because as of now he refused and was a DNR-CCA with no vent. They told me he really needed to get some rest and the vent would allow that and time to heal his lungs.
They talked Dad into it but they still wouldn’t let me see him. I was still brain foggy from the virus and after the doc said it would be just to give Dad a boost, we both agreed. They inserted the vent at 1 AM and a few hours later I was called at 3:30 AM because they didn’t think he was going to make it. A nurse friend was working in the ICU and she was the one who called me even though she wasn’t his nurse. I was allowed to grab his wife (another mile away) and come in.
He was sedated, vented, and paralyzed. Luckily, they thought to place Dad on his belly (called prone position) and his vitals came back up. We stayed several hours to make sure he was out of the woods and was told he could stay on his belly for 16-19 hours.
No Callback
“Nurses told me they would let me know.”
I called twice a shift for two days and received NO CALLBACK. Not sure how I finally got in to see my Dad the next day and the remaining days. I produced my negative results from the 13th and was over 10 days from the first symptoms but they still gave me grief each and every day. I was in full PPE’s, stayed out of their way, and was still harassed every day for coming in. (Many of them knew me from working there before quitting a year before).
Nurses told me they would let me know when they tried to put Dad on his back again but I was never called. They told me when I called the next morning that he tanked and they weren’t sure he was going to make it. But again, they waited till I called them. They said they didn’t want to bother me.
Questions and Speaking Out
Yes, I asked LOTS of questions and arrived early so I could see the doctors for rounds each morning, but I was respectful and kind. I always asked if he could be put on a protocol of Ivermectin and I was met with a chuckle and “That’s not our hospital protocol. We have to follow protocol”
Now I’m very outspoken on the internet about my love of Ivermectin and its uses. I know several hundred people have positive results. Someone “my profile is public,” told supervisors that I was sneaking in Ivermectin to my poor Daddy who was not only in a medically induced coma, but had a vent, a tube in his jugular vein and carotid artery, and was on roughly 8 different IVs and 2 medicines through his vent! If they actually read my posts, they would see people were suggesting lots of things, but I said I would never do anything because I could kill him at that point.
I was met at the door by the ICU manager and a security guard. They questioned me and I told them I would never and that they could body search me right now. Then the manager allowed me in but wouldn’t allow me to go in through his personal glass doors, I had to stay outside. I basically begged and told her to search me, I had to lay hands on my Dad, pray for him and play some worship music through my phone for him. He enjoyed my music and I know it could soothe him. She let me in for 5 minutes!
Held Hostage
“It would be temporary and he would improve.”
The next day I was allowed back in and stayed as long as possible. He was given a 50/50 chance by his doctors even though I saw his kidneys shutting down. Numbers weren’t great and not producing enough urine daily. I was still assured that if they started dialysis, it would be temporary and he would improve. At this point, they were able to lower his vent numbers and I had hope.
I was very careful because Dad didn’t want to live on machines. They started a tube feed because he hadn’t had nutrition for so long. They were trying to manage his fluids because it was affecting his blood pressure. I asked docs daily what his chances were. I didn’t want to prolong his death, but I also didn’t want to give up if there was a good chance.
On December 23rd, I went in and Dad had developed a high fever, and his dialysis catheter kinked. They were concerned because reinserting one in his groin could be deadly and cause a secondary infection. Doc also went from Dad having a 50/50 chance to barely any chance overnight. I prayed and prayed about this day and asked Jesus for a definitive sign. When the Doc told me even if the slightest chance Dad could come out of this he would live in a nursing home the rest of his life. Dad would have killed me! I decided to stop the machines.
Saying Goodbye
My daughter was allowed to come in since my husband still wasn’t feeling well. After she walked in, 10 minutes later, they disconnected him. I was laying on my dad's heart with my head and holding his hand as my daughter tried to comfort me. He was not breathing well and I knew it was only minutes. I was balling my eyes out and praying for him as snot ran all over my face. That’s when the ICU manager opened his glass doors and yelled at me to put my goggles back on! Thankfully the nurse was in there and pulled the curtain closed and shook her head. Dad didn’t make it 7 minutes without the machines. He died at 11:32 two days before CHRISTmas.
Even though I knew exactly where Dad was going because we talked for the past three years about death a lot. Dad wasn’t afraid and I knew he’d be with Jesus and his brothers. BUT my heart was shattered.
It’s been a few weeks and I’m still having nightmares about the coulda, woulda, shoulda stuff even though I know I did the best I could. Why would evil make my entire family sick at the same time keeping me from my Dad? I later got the records from the Quick Med clinic and had I been there or been okay, I wouldn’t have taken him to the ER. He was weak and fatigued breathing, his O2 was 88. They scared him and he fell for it. It cost his life.
