CASPER, Wyo. — What started as a road trip he had to take before he died could have ended in tragedy for a Minnesota family if not for a little luck and a lot of quick medical help.
According to a statement from Banner Wyoming Medical Center, Keith and Amy Gerken were driving a rented RV from their home in Minnesota to visit Utah‘s national parks earlier this month. Amy’s parents were also present for the trip they had all been planning for at least a few years.
While traveling through Wyoming en route to Utah, Keith suffered a major cardiac arrest while on an on-ramp to Interstate 80 in Rawlins. According to the release, Amy quickly unbuckled herself and drove the RV into a ditch.
Fortunately, a Wyoming Highway Patrol officer was nearby and saw the incident. He used an AED, or automated external defibrillator, to get Keith’s heart back into rhythm.
“Our story would be very different right now if it weren’t for that AED,” Amy said in the statement. “God was really taking care of us.”
Keith was transported to Rawlins Hospital before being airlifted to Banner Medical Center on June 5. While there, he was intubated in the ICU for several days before being transferred to the Progressive Care Unit last week. He and his family were able to fly home on Wednesday, June 19 to continue his recovery.
The heart attack came as a surprise to Keith, who at 51 is healthy and has no heart problems in his family. As a truck driver, he undergoes regular DOT physical exams that never detected any problems. He now has a small ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) that will continuously monitor his heartbeat and send an electric shock to restore the rhythm if necessary.
Keith praised the medical teams and said they treated him like family while he was at WMC. Amy said everyone at Casper, from the doctors to the nurses, as well as the Uber drivers and Walgreens staff, were warm and caring.
“I haven’t had a bad experience, which means for me, being 800 miles from home just made a difference,” he said in the statement. “I just want everyone to know it’s called ‘Minnesota Nice,’ but I swear, it should be ‘Wyoming Nice.'”
“I’m glad I was able to take him home. Alive. With me,” Amy said in the statement.
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