Jumpstart Randy's Road to Recovery.

Hi, my name is Brennan, and I am asking for your help to support my dad Randy Quam as he recovers from a cardiac arrest induced by unexplained heart complications.

On Friday September 29th dad began experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing, after some convincing he reluctantly agreed to be seen at Perham Health. Later that day he was admitted for pneumonia and a potential clot in his lung. On Saturday morning dad went into cardiac arrest, at the time the doctor believed it was because his lungs were not providing enough oxygen to his heart. A big thank you to all of the hospital staff, EMS workers, and doctors in Perham.

The medical staff at Perham Health made the decision to intubate and transfer dad to Sanford Health Medical Center in Fargo. As many of you know dad has made this trip in the back of an ambulance countless times. However, usually it is with him that people routinely entrust their loved ones. I would like to thank the crew that was entrusted with caring for dad, and seeing to it that he made it to Fargo.

Upon arriving at Sanford, dad was admitted to the ICU, where he continued to undergo a series of additional tests and evaluations. At around 4:30pm dad was responsive to verbal cues and holding hands with family as he suddenly slipped into cardiac arrest. The quick response of the Sanford ICU medical team was nothing short of amazing. I firmly believe their quick interventions and the organization and composure with which they worked for over 25 minutes, is why we will all be blessed with many more years of being teased by dad.

Due to the extended period of time that dad was without pulses there were concerns about potential organ damage, and the medical team was considering lowering dad's body temperature for 24 hours to mitigate any lasting damage. Luckily, as they decreased his sedatives he woke up and was responsive to verbal commands, which negated any need to cool him down. Dad has progressively perked up and is now communicating via hand signals and a whiteboard and marker, until he is able to breath on his own. Currently, it is believed that this is being caused by the misfiring of electrical impulses in his heart. A proposed solution is the introduction of a defibrillator vest until they can come to a more definitive conclusion as to what is causing this. We will do our best to keep you updated as we learn more.

In the meantime, we are asking for prayers, love, and support for him. If you would like to donate to help with medical bills and expenses until we can get him back on his feet, I know this will relieve some of the added pressure felt, as he recovers at home until he is well enough to return to work. The hope is to give him some relief and help the focus to be on getting him back out doing what he loves as an EMS professional in the community. Thank you for the outpouring of support and encouragement for dad as he continues to recover, both on social media and in the form of texts and calls.