Chris has always been a very active outdoorsman who enjoys being with his wife Marina and three children; Kyle, Olivia, and Everett. He loves to teach them about the outdoors while camping, fishing, or hunting. Chris was affected by Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) rapidly over the course of one fishing weekend in June 2007.
Chris was up at the family property on Lake of the Woods when he became progressively weaker and was unable to walk without assistance. He was brought to a nearby hospital in Roseau, however they were unable to care for someone with this life threatening diagnosis and he was brought by ambulance to the nearest facility able to admit him. Chris spent the next three weeks in Fargo, he was on the ventilator for 11 days because the muscles used for breathing were paralyzed. After receiving plasmapharesis he began to turn around. He was eventually stabilized and was able to be transferred to North Memorial for rehabilitation. It was, however, was not in the plans for him to begin recovery yet.
Once off of the plasmapharesis treatments he was receiving Chris began to get weaker and breathing became difficult again. He was transferred back to the ICU and was put on the ventilator again after a few days, and eventaully needed a tracheotomy placed. Nobody was sure what was going on or why he continued to be so ill. The doctors decided to begin plasmapharesis again to see if it would help as it did before. Thankfully, after several rounds of plasmapharesis Chris began to turn the corner again. After nearly another month spent in the ICU, Chris was transferred to Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital and began rehabilitation. Again, we were all in for another set-back. The doctors needed to stop the plasmapharesis treatments when he was moved out of the ICU and over to Bethesda. After approximately one week being off the treatments he bagan to have more symptoms. He was immediately transferred back to North Memorial where they began plasmapharesis again in hopes of halting the progression of the paralysis before it began to affect his breathing again.
Finally things began to turn around. Chris was able to start rehabilitation at North Memorial and still receive the plasmapharesis. He received both physical and occupational therapy twice daily while in the hospital. He began to regain control of his arms, and eventually his legs. He was finally discharged home in September where he was able to receive in home and then out patient physical therapy through December. Chris also continued to go to North Memorial for plasmapharesis treatments once a week, also through December.
Even now, Chris continues to have pain and tingling in his feet and ankles every day. When Chris become fatigued he becomes weaker and develops more symptoms. The doctors are unsure if this will resolve or not, as the progression and recovery of GBS is so unpredictable.