Kurt and Sharon Schwamberger Care with a Personal Touch
P
hone calls at 2:00 a.m. rarely bring good news. When Sharon Schwamberger was awakened in the wee hours by a call on her business phone, she knew that it would be the best news that she had received in a long time. And she was right. It was her husband Kurt calling. He was to find out that he had been in a coma for six weeks and that the preceding medical events had left in question his mental capacity. Calling from his hospital bed with a very direct request to “get me out of here” was the beginning of Kurt’s recovery. Kurt had enjoyed good health until a September morning when he felt nauseous and began vomiting blood. A call to 911 brought him to Mecosta County Medical Center’s (MCMC) Emergency Department. Physicians and medical staff worked to stabilize his condition and arrange transportation to Spectrum Blodgett. The Schwambergers believe that the timely assessment of Kurt’s symptoms and condition was pivotal in his survival. He coded two minutes after arriving in Grand Rapids, had no heart rate for 4.52 minutes and required 27 units of blood. “Everyone worked so well together to help Kurt,” commented Sharon. “Every minute counted in getting him the help that he needed.” Kurt and Sharon, both successful Fortune 500 company executives, moved to the area in 2000 and four years later established S and K Consulting, Inc., a firm that provides custom solutions to businesses in the areas of employee benefits, business consulting services, risk management, insurance/reinsurance, audits, executive search and most recently, technology-based security products for individuals and businesses. The Schwambergers knew that they needed assistance in determining what was next. Having met MCMC’s Director of Community Relations, Tom Hogenson, at Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce activities, he was the first person Sharon called for help in determining their options for Kurt’s care. “Tom answered my questions and connected me with the
Medical Center’s Director of Inpatient Rehabilitation, Suzie Pierce, who came to Grand Rapids and answered more of our questions and assessed Kurt’s needs,” Sharon explained. “Everything was uncertain at the time and having these two very knowledgeable patient advocates available was exceptionally helpful.” MCMC’s Home Health Care provided services to the Schwambergers for about six weeks. “I’d use them again,” Kurt remarked. “They were knowledgeable, friendly, always on time and communicated well. They answered our questions and if they didn’t know the answers, they found the information that we needed.” MCMC’s Outpatient Physical Therapy worked with Kurt for a month to help him regain his strength. Kurt and Sharon are very grateful for his recovery. “We appreciated the personalization of the care we received – no cookie cutter programs,” said Sharon. Kurt concluded, “It is reassuring to know that a catastrophic event that causes you to need an individualized combination of care can be handled locally.”
amberger,
rger, Sharon Schw
be erce, Kurt Schwam From left: Suzie Pi Tom Hogenson
Our Health, Our Hospital
6