FROM OUR FEB. 32-PAGE PRINTED EDITION – IN THE MAIL TO SUBSCRIBERS; APPEARING IN STORES ON MONDAY.
by Karen Henson
“I never thought it would end this way.” John Irish 1/23/1956 – 12/30/21
Those words, and I love you, were the last ones John Irish spoke to the love of his life, Karen Henson, the last time she saw him as he was taken away from her at Lowell General Hospital.
In early December 2021, Karen Henson sought medical help for her sick partner, John Irish, at a local clinic. They ended up at Lowell General Hospital, where, against their better judgment and instincts, he was isolated, given Remdesivir, and put on a ventilator. He put his life in her hands, appointing her his healthcare proxy, but her requests to take steps to save his life were repeatedly denied by the medical staff at the Steward affiliated hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts. Now John Irish is another number in the growing statistics of patients dying in this manner in hospitals across the country.
All who knew the joyful John Irish knew he loved life, and he lived it to the fullest. That is until the 65-year-old’s life was cut short at Lowell General Hospital. Following a 3 week battle to get him the treatment he wanted, the treatment that was already prescribed for him – the treatment that is listed in the NIH/CDC protocol – he succumbed to what was diagnosed as COVID pneumonia.
The hard, cold truth of the patient’s treatment of choice (Ivermectin and other protocols) did not offer Lowell General Hospital all of the perks of the CARES Act reimbursement. The Act essentially uses our tax dollars to incentivize treatments that harm patients rather than heal them.
The following are daily entries, along with his tragic story, as told by his partner of more than 20 years, Karen Henson.
Saturday, 11/27/21 – I [Karen] began to fall ill with a debilitating muscle fatigue and weakness. I was coughing, sleeping 12 hours a day, couldn’t eat, sitting in a recliner. During my lethargy, I noticed John coughing frequently and repeatedly taking hot showers to try to clear his lungs. After several days of coughing fits, I grew concerned. Being the robust and healthy man that he was, he dismissed it as asthma. As I struggled to cope with my own illness, I could not ignore the fact that John’s condition had rapidly deteriorated. When he slept, his breathing was erratic as his lungs seemed to moan.
Monday 12/6/21 – His breathing became labored and strained, causing strange sounds. He was speaking very little. I told him we were going to get him help. We prepared to leave in silence. John and I arrived at Circle Health Urgent Care, Dracut, MA around 7:30 PM. They brought him into the exam room quickly, where his O2 SAT was at 74. When asked if he had the COVID shot, as soon as he said no, there was an instant shift in attitude from the staff. They immediately swabbed his nose for COVID. We were treated like second class citizens. We were persona non grata. THIS is when I realized medical discrimination is in fact very real.
Suddenly, John and I were totally disregarded and, without consulting us, the staff at Circle Health Urgent Care called for an ambulance. I told them that I could bring him to Lowell General in my car, since it was less than 10 minutes away. Alarmingly, the nurse warned that he could die during the short drive. While preparing to transport a patient dangerously low on oxygen, struggling to breathe, I couldn’t believe that an EMT actually put a paper mask over John’s oxygen mask in the ambulance!?
The last time I saw John conscious was in the back of that ambulance as it sped ahead of me. When I got to Lowell General Hospital, they told me he was positive for COVID and was therefore required to be in isolation. I informed them that we lived in the same house and were sick together and that I was immune, but that didn’t matter. LGH stated that they had their policy, one that was clearly not developed through “following the science.” They were as unwavering about me being with him as they were about their protocol that they forced on John in the days to come, including Remdesivir and the vent.
Initially they put him on the AirVO Cannula, hi-flow oxygen mask/cannula to assist with his breathing, a system that can be used at home when necessary.
Tuesday 12/7/21 Noon – Oxygen 97.5%. Keeping John on his belly increases O2. As soon as he rolls over it drops. He’s in a negative pressure room. It’s very loud. He was having a hard time hearing the nurses and me on the phone.
Wednesday 12/8/21 – Although his O2 was over 95%, on the Airvo CANNULA, the hospital reported that John was not improving???? He was sedated (and remained that way until his death, intubated and placed on a ventilator). He was administered a paralytic to prevent his lungs from working on their own, fighting the regulated rhythm of the ventilator. As his healthcare proxy, I repeatedly requested Ivermectin but was refused. The doctors would insist on only Remdesivir. I recently learned that there is a huge payment incentive for the hospital to give this medication.
With constant reminders that John could die, he and I didn’t know what else to do, so we reluctantly agreed to just ONE dose of Remdesivir. John got it around 3:30 PM. He called at 7:15 PM and said he was having extreme difficulty breathing (a known side effect of Remdesivir) that occurred less than 3 hours after it was given. I’m not a doctor but I certainly can put 2 and 2 together. Clearly, he had an adverse reaction to the medication and later, it was requested that it be reported to FAERS (FDA Adverse Event Reporting System).
Now that the doctors got the Remdesivir into John, they said he now had to be on a vent “BEFORE IT BECOMES AN EMERGENCY.” They were now warning that if he didn’t get on the vent right away, he may not survive being put on it when it becomes an emergency. So, they were predicting an emergency before it happened? This put us in panic mode, and once again not knowing how else to proceed, we also reluctantly agreed to the vent. He was moved to ICU.
One of the last things John said to me was, “I never thought it would end this way.” Neither of us did.
I later learned that this is ANOTHER profitable intervention if used by the hospital, thanks to the CARES Act, and paid for with our tax dollars. Had I known that hospitals were incentivized by our government, via our tax dollars, to “encourage” it to end this way, we would have been more adamant about refusing. We would have instead had high flow oxygen ordered for our home, where John could have received the NIH approved Ivermectin that was later prescribed to him.
Thursday 12/9/21 – Still no improvement. We had consulted with a physician who follows the American Frontline Doctors protocol for treating COVID. She did a tele-med evaluation and provided us with a prescription for Ivermectin, among other medications, which our research had shown were effective for treating the virus. I waited for our prescriptions to arrive by mail.
Friday 12/10/21 – Nurse Anthony told me to stop getting my information from the internet regarding Ivermectin. And, they claim what they do is based on science? I hung up on him.
5PM PA Kelly called to say if John has family, they could call him. She also asked if they will be visiting. That was the first time I heard he could have visitors since he was moved into ICU. They neglected to mention that two days earlier. It doesn’t really make a difference, since I can’t enter his room, even though I am immune. I can only see him through the glass, so he has no way of hearing me, and he has no way to see me because he is sedated. I just want to be with him.
Saturday 12/11/21 – John was taken off paralytic and put on his back in the AM. He will be on his belly tonight. He’s been OK throughout the day. But they isolated this extremely outgoing and demonstrative man who thrived on connection and affection. I have no doubt this is negatively impacting his condition.
Sunday 12/12/21 – Went to see John through the window. Almost walked right by him because he was unrecognizable. Total of 36 hours on belly, face very swollen, being fed through a stomach tube. They’ll keep him on his back, as long as he does not regress. All organs functioning well, per the doctors. His lungs were the only problem. They told me he will stay sedated.
Had I known that Remdesivir caused renal failure and his facial swelling was a sign of it occurring, I would have ensured they immediately reported it to FAERS. I would have dug deeper regarding his renal status, I would have drilled it into them that I now know that John’s reaction to Remdesivir harmed him. They scared us into accepting the Remdesivir by threatening death. No other choices were given but to take the Emergency Use Authorized drug that accelerated his respiratory distress and his renal failure, then hid it from us, and hid him from me. Sadly, I was only allowed to see him through a window just this once. Then the hospital went into lockdown. I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO SEE HIM ALIVE AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH I WAS IMMUNE!! So much for following the science, Anthony.
Monday 12/13/21 – LGH is on lockdown. Wrong Arterial Blood Gas results were given to me; it was another patient’s info I received. John was not doing well. His condition had actually become worse. They said he will be on his belly tonight.
Tuesday 12/14/21 – They put him back on the paralytic this AM so his lungs will stay in sync with the vent. He was trying to breathe on his own. I guess he now has bacteria in his lungs. He was put on Vancomycin and ANCEF, two antibiotics that can contribute to his already occurring renal failure. The doctors neglected to disclose John’s renal issues until the following week, just 2 days before he passed.
He supposedly had a hospital-contracted staph infection in the lungs. Dr. Yu also refused to give him the Ivermectin, even though it is on the NIH approved list and his prescription had already been filled. Lowell General Hospital refused to give a patient his prescribed medication.
Wednesday 12/15/21 – LGH patient advocate, Shannon Looney, is agreeing with all hospital protocols. She said that she agreed with the hospital treatment. I reiterated that I had been asking for Ivermectin since day one. They continued to refuse it. But again, as I later found out, there is no money to be made by the hospital if they use the NIH page 35 approved Ivermectin.
Thursday 12/16/21 – Shannon Looney said I could move John to another hospital, if I could find one that would take him, but the medical staff doubted he would survive the transport. They continued to adhere rigidly to their protocol.
2PM PA Heather, no change.
6:10PM Dr. Yu called. John at 80% O2, vomited when they flipped him on belly. DR. Yu doesn’t think that it aspirated into his lungs. We are now on the tenth day of Decadron steroids. Why is John getting an immunosuppressive dose of Decadron when they are treating him for a supposed infection? Medicine 101 would tell us to hold the steroid. He was started on Sarilumab, which studies showed had no efficacy. Sarilumab also suppresses the immune system.
Friday 12/17/21 – 11:15 AM PA Heather told me the “aortic repair was done.” WHAT???? Sorry, wrong patient again. John is still on paralytic and has been turned onto his back. The Arterial Blood Gas he will get later will tell us more in the afternoon. While on the phone tonight, PA said John would be flipped on belly and will stay on paralytic. While we were talking, Dr. Yu gave an update to the PA. Now they are NOT going to turn him on his belly???? And they are now taking him off the paralytic. His face was showing signs of damage from being face down for as much as 16 hours at a stretch. He was continuing to accumulate fluid, gross edema, but nobody told me, nobody said anything about it. His kidneys were failing!!
Saturday 12/18/21 – Called LGH 10:30AM. They were rounding. They called back several hours later. They were busy. Finally, 6PM got a call. I told them, it’s more than 10 days and he’s not getting better their way, so why not give him his prescribed Ivermectin?! I told them I had received a script with his name on it and would bring it in. They refused John his prescribed medication. If he was prescribed a cardiac medication, would they refuse that? No, they would have added it to his orders and continued to administer it. I Asked for Vitamin D3, C, Zinc. They said there is no proof they work. So again, they were withholding routine “benign” meds, my John would have taken with a cold, or to fortify his immune system when he felt it was necessary. I tried to get even minimal routine care and it was continually denied. It was decided John will stay on his back tonight and they’ll try to reduce his O2 tomorrow and lighten the sedative.
Sunday 12/19/21 – Called a few times but they were always too busy. Dr. Yu called at 5:16PM. John has a slight fever, 101 this AM, even though he HAD BEEN ON ANCEF for pneumonia. And now he was on Vancomycin and Zosyn, too. They have turned the vent down to 50 from 70. He’ll stay on his back.
Monday 12/20/21 – Phoned ICU 11:40AM. Ashley said the nurse is doing rounds. Someone will call in about 30 minutes. I called back at 5PM. Fritz, RN, says they stopped the paralytic today. Vital signs stable. Still sedated, on Verset. Vent 50. He needs to be awake and alert, temp OK, in order for them to take him off the vent. 6:20PM Jennifer called me and said they’ll communicate better.
Tuesday 12/21/21 – Fritz, RN, called at 9:20AM. He promised last night he would call if assigned to John. Nothing has changed since yesterday. Vitals same. ABG, no improvement. 2:30PM Dr. Gottlieb (rotates from Tufts) called. O2 90% – 92%. PEEP (Positive End Expiratory Pressure) vent pressure needs to be less than 8. John’s is at 12. Vent needs to be less than 40%. He is at 50%. Put back on paralytic last night to keep him from fighting with the vent. We were so close.
Wednesday 12/22/21 – 11AM PA Fritz called. Had to push the vent back up to 70%. Said he looked at John’s chest X-ray from 12/6 and he’s convinced he would have not survived without the vent. Meanwhile, I was convinced he would survive if they gave him his prescribed Ivermectin.
3:15PM Dr. Gottlieb called. No blood clots in legs. Will do cat scan today to check for clots in lungs. O2 was 87% this AM. Pushed vent back from 50 to 70% and O2 now at 96%. Still on Lovenox, Vanco, Zosyn. First time I heard about the Lovenox. Said he’s been on it from the beginning. Nursing staff will manually try to clear mucus.
Thursday 12/23/21 – 11:05AM Christina RN called. Heart rate up overnight. Put John on Amiodarone, anti-arrhythmic. Had I known the Vancomycin causes significant heart problems, I would have addressed it, but I trusted the doctors. They said the increase in heart rate could have been from moving him, change in electrolytes, anything.
6AM vent turned down to 60%. O2 92 – 93%. Cat scan shows no micro clots. Still on Lovenox. Suctioned every two hours. Pneumonia still a big player. Still on two antibiotics. Off paralytic last night. Liver enzymes elevated. Not good. ANOTHER Remdesivir side effect. For the first time, the doctors announce John has COVID pneumonia. Now only on Cefazolin for bacteria in lungs. Maybe they finally remembered Vancomycin causes cardiac issues too????.
Friday 12/24/21 – 10:35AM RN Christina. 93-94% O2 with 80% vent. O2 dropped to 92-93% on 60% vent. May prone John (belly) today. Only thing LGH will treat COVID pneumonia with is Dexamethasone, which has been completed and Remdesivir.
4PM called and asked for Vitamin D, C, and Zinc. Dr. He said studies don’t show improved results with high dose of these vitamins. Agreed to a multi-vitamin. Dr. He will check on whether John’s nutrition has high sugar, which creates mucus. Dr. He will send message to legal team regarding “Right-To-Try” federal law after it was brought to her attention.
Saturday 12/25/21 – Noon, PA Kelly. Vent 80%, O2 95%, was prone overnight, on paralytic. Just found out I could have been having Zoom calls with John for the last two weeks. Sent him love and Christmas wishes to get well through the tablet. His jaw was moving slightly up and down as if he were trying to talk. His chest was heaving with a slight exertion.
Sunday 12/26/21 – 10:10AM. RN Emily. Prone overnight. O2 97%, vent 80%, on multivitamin. Continued paralytic. Asked for vitamin breakdown. They will check. Never got that answer.
4PM Jeff PA. O2 101%, on back. Vent 70%. Jeff then made correction. He was wrong. At 1PM his O2 99.4%. His PCO2 was 101.
Monday 12/27/21 – Called at 10:25AM. They’re busy doing rounds. 1:30PM, they never called me back. I checked his 5:20AM labs. O2 94.2%, vent 90%. Bun 51, Creatine 1.38, WBC 18.8. These last three are too high. They did not tell me about his abnormal labs, I checked them myself through his patient portal.
Finally, talked to Scott, PA (big attitude). John had lots of secretions last night so upped the vent to 90%. Don’t know if Scott was looking at John’s info because he told me his Hematocrit HCT was up from a couple days ago, from 24 to 26. Just re-checked on his patient portal. Wrong. His lowest HCT is today, 33.8. Asked again for multi-vitamin breakdown. He said he’d have pharmacy call me. Never got a call.
4PM DR. DAN BULANOWSKI. Will re-culture a sample from John’s lungs to identify what bacteria is growing. He’ll order vitamin D (1000 IU), C (500mg) and Zinc (220 mg) in place of the multi previously ordered by Dr. He. Why not in addition? Refuses once again to give Ivermectin. Says it could interfere with steroids!!! WHAT!!!!. He gives him less than two weeks to live. Adds, that if they remove breathing tube, John will die quickly, even with added Hi flow O2.
Tuesday 12/28/21 – 9AM called risk mgmt. (legal) 978-937-6206 Tatiana Shelton. Not there today. Backup person not there until tomorrow, Barbara Foxmiles 978-942-2613. 9:45AM
Talked to Molly, John’s dietitian today X72019. She’ll call me after she checks on John today.
10:15AM Shannon Looney from legal called. She’ll meet with team and see what can be done. Will call me later today. DID NOT CALL!
1:30PM Molly, dietician has checked on John’s nutrition and says it’s good. 4g sugar, 110g carbs.
2:30PM Dr. Bulanowski, vitamin supplements started yesterday. Vent suddenly 100%. Was on belly overnight. CO2 elevated. Not good. Again I asked for Ivermectin…he said, ”I’ll think about it” just to get me to stop asking. When pressed again later, said no.
4:15PM Shannon Looney, legal had not called back and they’re gone for the day.
5:00PM Bulanowski did not call me back about the Ivermectin either. Says he will try to contact his boss about letting a non-LGH doctor come in and infuse John with everything he needs.
Wednesday 12/29/21 – 10:05 AM Ashley answered and said Steph, John’s nurse today, will call me after rounds.
2:50PM Bulanowski, Vent 90-100%, being on his belly didn’t change anything, kidney function getting worse. This is the first mention of kidney failure. When pressed on if he had fluid retention was told yes. When pressed to what extent, was told significant and all through Johns body, there was gross edema they never mentioned. Still on paralytic. How are his lungs supposed to breathe on their own again? Tomorrow morning dialysis through his A-line, updated X-rays of lungs. Dr. Bulanowski stated John has Fibrotic lung disease. Is that medicalese for ventilation, Remdesivir-induced lung damage that will afford the Hospital a 20 percent incentive thanks to my tax dollars? Last X-Ray 12/26.
5:20PM Dr. Bulanowski’s and his boss, Dr. Greg Shumaker, a pulmonary critical care specialist, finally called me back to answer questions. Zinc in IV? Getting an infusion of high potency vitamins? Ivermectin through feeding tube? All no. And now they let me know they have been giving John additional medications to “off load” fluid, the fluid they never mentioned he had been accumulating and retaining at dangerous levels since the Remdesivir was administered. His kidneys were slowly shutting down the whole time. I also later found out that, under the CARES Act, the hospital is not obligated to abide by patient rights. And if they use the Remdesivir not only do they get big bucks, but they have zero liability!!!
We never gave informed consent because we were never fully informed about the risks of Remdesivir before we were coerced into using it. We were given no other alternative but death until we gave into the pressure. Now I understand why. They are not liable, and they get huge financial incentives. One of the hardest parts of all of this is that if they had used the Ivermectin, I believe my John would still be here. Had they not harassed us, lied to us, and scared us into taking the Remdesivir, John would still be here. I have since spoken to and have had discussions [with] numerous people who have been in John’s situation. They knew enough to say NO to the Remdesivir and NO to the vent. Some had to fight tooth and nail to get discharged, but they got home, got Ivermectin, other treatments and vitamins, and they are alive and doing well.
Thursday 12/30/21 – I got the call I never wanted to get at 12:20AM. John had coded. He was still alive, but that I should come to LGH right away. About 20 minutes later I was at ICU. They came out only to tell me that John had passed. They said he had coded multiple times and took me to him. After just being told that the love of my life was gone, they made me wait outside his room, alone, like John was for more than 3 weeks. I was so close. I just wanted to finally be with him again. The curtains were closed as I waited for 15 minutes while they finished with … whatever.
When I saw him, he still had the endotracheal tube down his throat, pulling on his mouth, distorting his face. Why? Weren’t they preparing him for me to see him? What were they doing during those agonizing 15 minutes that I had to wait?
I spent the next 3 hours lying next to John on a narrow gurney, talking to him about this battle for his life, expressing sorrow at having lost it, hugging and caressing him, and of course telling him how much I love him, over and over and over again.
Now it’s perfectly fine for me to be in John’s room with him. But not yesterday, not tomorrow, or most importantly, the whole time John Irish was alone fighting for his life in the hospital. Hard to believe that someone so good and so positive, the love of my life and my best friend, was needlessly taken from me and from this world, by a broken, corrupt, self-righteous, bought and paid for medical system that values profits more than patients. And just as sad that John’s story is not unique. Be warned that it is happening with more and more frequency. Better yet, be prepared to protect yourself against it.
My message to other families – be prepared. Don’t wait until you are sick to have what you need to stay out of the hospital, or you will be overpowered by a system that does not put your best interest first. Oh, and did I mention that Lowell General Hospital got one last COVID bonus once John died in their facility. I have a haunting question: Why are there not incentives to save lives? Think about it. ▲
COMFLM and Nurse Christina contributed to the compilation of this story.
Others are suffering similar fates. See:
https://tinyurl.com/CanNeverLeave
This was such a sad but so familiar story. My brother suffered the same fate at Lowell General al the same time as John Irish. They said the same things to our family and the very same fate occurred. We asked for Ivermectin so many times only to be told the hospital would only give Remdesivir. I had asked one of the nurses taking care of him, “” If this was one of your family members, would you try to get them out of thiS hospital? I won’t ask you the reasons why you answered, please just be truthful. She said yes she would find another place for her family member given the same circumstances. I called around and could not find a bed for him and was told he would never survive the move anyway. He was advised against taking the vaccine and like John, as soon as he told them he had not been vaccinated, he was treated differently. This is such a shame they they can not be held accountable and can do whatever they want.