Deep Breaths: Sam Davis’ Miraculous Recovery

Tonya Ellis’s birthday trip to Hocking Hills last March was going great. But what started out with a family lunch turned quickly to concern when her dad, Sam, started not feeling well.

“It was bad enough that he thought we should head home," she recalled. On the way back, though, the pain he was experiencing grew considerably worse. Thankfully they were nearing Diley Ridge Medical Center and stopped in the ER. It turned out the pain was the result of a kidney stone, which is not uncommon and is often treated with high-energy shock waves to break up the stone and make it easier to pass. But when Sam’s oxygen level began to plummet, it became anything but common.

Unfortunately, Sam had had a difficult battle with Covid-19 a few years earlier that left him with some lingering lung issues. He’d since had pneumonia as well, so when fluid started backing up in his lungs, his breathing became labored and they knew he’d need a higher level of care.

Tonya and her brothers agreed Mount Carmel Grove City would be the best place for him to be transferred. It was a fortuitous choice.

Soon after arriving, their dad had to be placed on a ventilator. And though it enabled him to breathe and have the kidney stent surgery he needed to pass the stone and clear the infection, the stress and resulting fluid buildup had given him a life-threatening condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). That meant coming off the ventilator would be a longshot.

“We were told that the chances of him recovering were very small and we should start making plans,” Tonya said.

Though he did improve, the ventilator was maxed out and they knew he could only stay on it for about 10 days. With time running out, Mount Carmel pulmonologist Dr. Gina Moody suggested trying a last-resort medication to open his lungs a bit. Miraculously, it helped. He got a little better. Then a little better still. Not long after, he was breathing through an opening in his trachea and then on his own. Tonya and her family could not have been more shocked or overjoyed.

Sam was discharged to acute care rehab in May. In October he walked his first 5K with his family and friends cheering him on. And recently he was back traveling with his family again to a reunion in West Virginia and playing with his beloved grandchildren.

“We truly thought we would never see him off the vent, and now he’s doing better than he was before he went into the hospital,” she said. “His lungs are healthy and there’s little sign of the trauma they went through. He’s still recovering his endurance, but he’s made remarkable progress. He’s even back to work. He’s a walking miracle.”

She’s incredibly thankful, too.

“We are SO grateful for the care he received at Mount Carmel,” Tonya added. “It was truly unmatched. The ICU nurses and respiratory therapists were so knowledgeable and responsive. Our ICU doc, Dr. Ralston, was so personable and Dr. Moody and all the physicians we worked with were so kind. They all felt like family and friends to us.”

“Chaplain Rick and Linda, my dad’s caseworker, were two of his favorites. Linda became one of my most called numbers as she helped me navigate the insurance and advocate for extended care. The custodians even did singalongs with my cousin. Everyone was just absolutely precious to us. I don't remember every name but each face is forever etched in my heart. We are just so thankful that my dad ended up at Mount Carmel. We’re people of faith and we believe he was there for a reason. I don't know that he would have received this level of care anywhere else, truly. It’s the reason he’s become the miracle he is.”