VANCOUVER, Wash. — A fundraising dinner/auction event to help cover medical costs for a longtime Vancouver educator raised $43,500 over the weekend.
Imagine going in for what you expect will be a routine surgery and coming out of it in a coma, with brain damage.
That's exactly what happened to a longtime Vancouver educator who is now trying to get his life back. Scott Munro is relearning some of the most basic things in a rehabilitation center in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Clark County resident has been on a long road of recovery since last September, when he went in for orthopedic shoulder surgery in the Vancouver area and ended up in the ICU for a month with brain damage.
“I think it's important to share that we know something went wrong in the O.R. that day. Someone or some machine, maybe more than one person, maybe more than one machine, was not doing its job," said Katrina Munro, Scott's wife.
Katrina explained that during the surgery, Scott's blood oxygen levels dropped for four minutes unchecked, long enough to do serious damage.
Why it happened, the liability, the insurance issues are all part of a very difficult equation.
When asked how she was doing, Katrina said, "That's the question that I don't always love it when people ask, because sometimes it makes me cry, and it's kind of the unanswerable question."
One thing is for sure: the first priority is Scott's recovery, which — with a lot of hard work — is happening.
“Well, you know, it's going pretty well, considering where I started after the injury — which yeah, I was barely conscious for about two months,” said Scott.
To get Scott specialized medical care in Chicago and now Nebraska has been an all-hands-on-deck effort.
“This is Scott's best shot still at recovering because there's nowhere back home or anywhere on the West Coast where you get five days a week of therapy, four to six hours, with people that specialize in brain injuries and also spinal cord injuries. That's their particular specialty here,” explained Katrina.
The group effort for Scott’s recovery starts with his family, which includes college-aged daughter Katherine.
“It's really challenging. It's been a huge wave of emotions this whole time,” said the 23-year-old.
Along with trips east to see her dad, Katherine has been here, going to school, managing the family home and remembering the good times.
“I love going on trips with my parents. My dad was always the planner," said Katherine, looking at family photos.
Katherine described her dad as loving, hardworking and inspirational. Scott has a nearly 30-year career in the Evergreen School District, starting as a teacher, then principal, and now, the director of elementary education.
Katrina is a longtime Evergreen teacher, so they're used to being on the giving end; it’s an unusual experience to be on the receiving end. But the support from the school community, friends and others is huge.
“You know, we've been overwhelmed by the amount of support we've received from coworkers and others,” said Scott.
“My dad has said it before, and I'll say it, too — just that we didn't really realize how many people we had in our corner until something like this happens,” said Katherine.
“We're just so grateful and overwhelmed and humbled,” said Katrina.
A GoFundMe shows the level of financial help raised so far. More support is needed, as insurance has stopped paying for the level of care that the family says is critical to Scott's progress — because while he’s regained his smile, he has a long way to go to walk a normal life.