As we all know, Gabe Grunewald has been battling adenoid cystic carcinoma for the last several years. Yesterday, she was in the ICU, and things were not looking good. Her husband, Justin, who is a doctor, looked at her charts and thought the worst was coming -- her lactate was 23 and her PH was 6.9. We don't know what that means, but Justin does, and he was terrified, calling them "values incompatible with life." And then...well, just read what Justin wrote:
***Read whole post***
Yesterday was the worst day of my life. I woke up next to my wife to a group of alarmed nurses rushing us to the ICU. Her morning labs had come back and “they did not look good.” @gigrunewald seemed a little confused but otherwise fine. Upon arriving to the ICU I reviewed her labs with her team of interns and critical care doctor and immediately ran out of the hospital crying. For medical professionals her lactate was 23 and pH was 6.9, values incompatible with life. They started fluid resuscitation, placed a PICC line gave two units of blood and her numbers had worsened with a lactate of 26. She was relatively unaware and at peace. I made the hardest decision of my life with her family and brother to move her to comfort care. I actually got the opportunity to say goodbye to her alone and inform her she was dying, at that time she did not seem to be comprehending much. Shortly after I told her she was dying she took a deep breath and yelled “NOT TODAY.” We went to bed shortly after I felt for her radial pulse all night on her arm with her mother and @abigailande sleeping on her other side. At around 8am when the critical care doctor came in the room Gabe woke me up because she wanted to order breakfast. After stopping cares most of her labs had normalized on their own and she is now eating a @shakeshack burger out of the ICU. Talking to all my doctor colleagues they have never seen another patient survive similar circumstances. It can only be explained as divine intervention or miracle. Today was the best day of my life.
Thank you sooo much for the prayers. Also again thanks to the best friend group in the world for literally getting here from multiple states within 12 hours and to my bro @mattg_nearthesea for making the fastest trip ever from Cayman to MN!
#bravelikegabe #runningonhope #nottoday
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Everyone here is rooting for you and thinking of you Gabe. Keep fighting!
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByOurj1nDrF/
LRC Update on 6/9/19: Grunewald has entered end of life care.
https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=9422645&page=2#9434154