My mom was admitted to the 8th floor at Appleton Medical Center on November 16, 2021.  We talked with the doctors and nurses every day on each shift wanting updates.  We were assured every day her vitals were good or great, and that her organs were functioning above normal.  They also told me they were not giving her remdesivir, which, in fact, they were. ,We were told they just couldn’t get her cough under control.

On November 24, 2021, they gave us two (2) options.  One being put her on a ventilator and two, put her on comfort measures.  I told them, “NO, she will not go on a ventilator!” and my mom even stated she did not want to be put on a ventilator, because she knew she’d never come off from it.  And, we said no to comfort measures. Why would we over a cough?

On November 25, 2021, my dad was connected to WebEx and witnessed staff enter my mom’s room, mess with the machine and walk out.  Ten minutes later he witnessed my mom rip her mask off and she started thrashing in the bed.  We were then informed, via telephone, that she went into “shock” and they HAD to vent her.  My dad, myself and my 21 year old nephew showed up to the ICU.  A nurse named Megan grabbed my dad’s hand while my dad was standing on the right hand side of my mom and nurse Megan told my dad that, “Mr Lowney, she will not walk out of here. You need to let her go.”  Then in her next breath she reassured him that Barb could hear him so he should continue to talk to her.

I then asked to talk to the doctor. He agreed to talk with us in the family room outside of the ICU.  The three of us went to the room and waited for Dr. Alain Broccard to meet us in there.  He stood in the doorway of this room, introduced himself and told us to “give up.”   We needed to just give up.  The nurse Megan also told me that I should feel guilty for putting my mom through this, and that I was torturing her by not letting my mom go.  She also threw it out there that she was doing us a big favor by letting us in when they only allow one (1) person at a time.  She also was doing us a HUGE favor by allowing him (pointing at my 21 year old nephew) to even be in by here cause he wasn’t even of age. “They don’t allow anyone under the age of 18 in ICU,” she stated.

My mom NOT being vaccinated was brought up a few different times.  They made us feel like it was our fault that she was on a ventilator cause we didn’t get her vaccinated.  Not only did they torture my mom by killing her, they tortured us mentally.