By Emily Gedde
The odds of a Rainy Lake Medical Center (RLMC) executive surviving a cardiac arrest event in August were stacked against him. But because of the skill and quick response from hospital staff, Brian Rauzi not only survived, but he also has no significant heart or cognitive damage and returned to work two weeks later.
Rauzi, RLMC’s chief operating officer, has emerged as a medical miracle and spoke at the American Heart Association’s Northland Heart Walk in Duluth Sept. 28 about going into cardiac arrest Aug. 20 during a meeting at RLMC.
“I am alive only by the grace of God and the talent of an amazing team,” he said.
Physicians who the 54-year-old has encountered since, have said the outcome of Rauzi’s experience is one to celebrate.
“He had about a 1 in 100 chance of survival,” said Dr. Joshua Malik, the physician who worked on Rauzi at RLMC’s emergency department. “He’s extremely lucky.”
Best known to the public as the man who wears the yeti costume in parades and plays the accordion for RLMC’s employee of the month, Rauzi has had a tough summer, to say the least. A routine appendectomy June 21 in Virginia led to a series of complications that landed Rauzi in the hospital for 20 days. The procedure itself went as expected, however, a small tear in the appendix led to a serious infection followed by several weeks of different antibiotic concoctions.
“We finally thought we had things taken care of,” Rauzi said of his July 19 release from the hospital. “I thought things were going really well.”
Still weak, Rauzi returned to work ready for a busy season full of budgeting, strategic planning and a handful of RLMC-sponsored events. He even walked through the streets of Ranier wearing the yeti costume and high fiving the crowd during the Ranier Days parade Aug. 10.
Those who know Rauzi won’t be surprised by this. He is a powerful leader with a take charge, get-it-done-now attitude. He’s extremely physically active and follows a healthy diet. In other words, sitting still is challenging for him.
Rauzi’s colleagues, however, kept a close eye on him following his late-July return to work, making sure he wasn’t overexerting himself. Those watchful eyes played a role in saving his life.
Cardiac arrest
More in tune to his health than ever, Rauzi recalls feeling “off” on Aug. 20, even texting his wife, Carrie, who is a licensed practical nurse at Rainy Lake Clinic, telling her something didn’t feel right.
“That afternoon, I was in an executive team meeting feeling my pulse and it would rapid fire with long delays,” he said.
Rauzi’s next memory is waking up a few days later at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. And while Rauzi doesn’t have any further recollection of that day, others do.
Kris Foss, RLMC’s chief talent officer, still gets choked up recalling the situation. Sitting across from Rauzi during the meeting, she said it became clear very quickly that something was wrong.
RLMC CEO Robb Pastor agreed.
“Brian tipped back in his chair and started making strange noises,” he said. “Initially, we thought maybe he was having a seizure.”
The group of executives sprang into action and Foss ran out of the room to find help.
“I wasn’t thinking coherently, but my first instinct was to go get our ER staff,” she said. “Because I knew if anybody could help, they could. I knew how good they are, and I knew they could save Brian. And I was right.”
RLMC emergency staff were meeting in main area of the emergency department, about 50-60 feet from the office Rauzi was in. Ann Tupper, RN, said she took one look at Foss’s panic-stricken face and knew something was terribly wrong.
“I don’t even know if Kris said anything, I could just tell something bad was happening,” Tupper said. “I just started running in the direction she came from.”
Others were close behind her.
When the medical team arrived at Rauzi’s side, Tupper said she felt for his pulse, and it wasn’t there. Without hesitation, Tupper and others got him to the floor and she immediately began CPR.
Others piled into the office, finding challenges with tight corners and restricted space. Malik said the focus was getting Rauzi back to the emergency department and stabilized quickly – he knew timing was critical.
“His heart wasn’t beating, and we didn’t have the proper equipment in that (office),” he said.
Marygaye Tate, emergency room director, was in her office down the hall when she was alerted to the situation. As she arrived on scene, she grabbed an ambu bag – a bag valve mask used as a manual resuscitator – and started giving Rauzi oxygen as Tupper continued CPR.
“Because the space in Robb’s office was so tight, it was a challenge to get Brian on the stretcher,” she said. “Everyone is so skilled and acted quickly but, in a manner to make sure we didn’t stop compressions or giving him oxygen.”
Once the group was finally able to get Rauzi to the emergency department, Tate said life-saving roles were established and the team transitioned into the well-oiled machine they are.
“We continued resuscitation efforts and started on the course of defibrillating him,” she said.
About 20 minutes later, Tate said she excitedly announced Rauzi had a pulse.
“It was a bounding pulse,” Tate said. “Before that, we could quite literally see the life draining out of him.”
Jenna Gelo, RN, said the return of Rauzi’s pulse triggered a momentary sigh of relief from the room of colleagues and friends.
“I remember Ann talking to him and saying, ‘You got this, Brian, you got this,’” she said. “Nobody was giving up. We weren’t leaving that room without him.”
Tate agreed.
“We would have gone as long as we needed to. We wouldn’t have stopped,” she said. “I was praying the whole time. As we kept providing care, I was praying.”
Supporting Carrie
Down the hall, Foss and Andrea Pastor, RLMC chief ambulatory officer, gathered with Carrie for comfort and prayer. Upon realizing the severity of Rauzi’s condition and that he would be transported to Duluth in a helicopter, the women worked together to keep Carrie calm and prepare for the unexpected trip out of town.
“I knew I needed to help guide Carrie because there was so much to process,” Andrea said. “It was little things like what she needed to pack and who would take care of their dog. We just kept her focused on one task at a time.”
Back at the hospital, the team successfully stabilized Rauzi for air transport, triggering a lot of emotions from the people who work with and care about Rauzi. Robb Pastor said he made sure to check on those who cared for Rauzi.
“I walked around and tried to talk to everyone that had been involved to ensure that they were doing okay,” he said. “I am beyond proud of our team at Rainy Lake Medical Center for their quick, life-saving actions during such a critical moment for Brian. As a key member of our executive team, and someone many of us consider a dear friend, Brian’s situation hit especially close to home. To see our staff come together, act so decisively, and ultimately save his life was nothing short of extraordinary. It wasn’t just their skills and training that stood out, it was the heart, compassion, and unwavering commitment to caring for one of our own that makes this moment so powerful.”
Tate, too, took time to process once Rauzi left RLMC.
“I went in my office and cried,” she said. “I felt so much pride in the team. They did a remarkable job.”
Road to recovery
Over the next few days, Carrie communicated Rauzi’s condition with staff, and remarkably, he was doing extremely well, seeing daily improvements. When he returned to work Sept. 3, his co-workers were in shock.
“When Brian walked into my office just two weeks after everything happened was an incredibly emotional moment for me,” Robb Pastor said. “It’s hard to put into words the mix of relief, gratitude, and pure joy I felt. After everything he went through, seeing him standing there, smiling, and ready to get back to work was nothing short of remarkable. It felt like a miracle. Brian’s resilience and strength are truly inspiring, but again it’s also a testament to the incredible care he received and the overwhelming support from everyone at RLMC.”
As a man of strong faith, Rauzi said while he is not afraid to die, he still feels a strong urge to live, especially for his wife, children and first grandchild arriving in October. Even though he struggles with slowing down, his perspective has changed.
“I want to make sure I really value the time that I have with my wife, my children, my family, my friends, and my colleagues,” he said. “Too often I get caught up in moving too quickly from task to task. I want to appreciate time and experiences. I want people to feel valued.”
Thinking he was doing everything he could to guard his heart from a health and wellness perspective, Rauzi said the experience helped him realize there is only so much he could do. He grew emotional thinking of everyone who not only guarded his heart on Aug. 20, but didn’t give up on it.
Rauzi cited Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it,” before taking a moment to thank the guardians of his heart for everything they did to save his life and support his wife through the trying situation.
“I have a hard exterior, but the fact that people care that much for me, and they didn’t quit on me means a lot,” he said. “I truly care for and appreciate all the colleagues I am blessed to work with.”
Malik, nursing staff, executives and others say the experience serves as a powerful reminder of why each member of the RLMC family does what they do.
“It’s so important to care for one another, to have each other’s backs, and to appreciate the time we have together,” Robb Pastor said. “It was a moment of deep gratitude, not just for Brian’s recovery, but for the RLMC family that helped make it possible. I am profoundly grateful to every person who saved Brian’s life. This is more than just a testament to their professionalism, it’s a reminder of the strength of our RLMC family and the lengths we go to for each other and our community.”
Rauzi would like to recognize the Rainy Lake Medical Center guardians of his heart:
- Members of the executive team – Robb Pastor, Andrea Pastor, Kris Foss and Kelly Hagen for quickly identifying something was wrong and seeking help immediately.
- Dr. Joshua Malik for providing exceptional care as the emergency department physician on duty Aug. 20.
- Nursing staff – Marygaye Tate, emergency room director; Jenna Gelo, RN; Ann Tupper, RN and Melanie Benike, RN, for providing exceptional life-saving care and never giving up on Rauzi. Tupper immediately started CPR, Tate grabbed the ambu bag, Gelo started an IV and the entire team worked together to not only save Rauzi’s life but prevented any significant heart or cognitive damage.
- Robb Pastor, RLMC chief executive officer, for staying close by Carrie, and providing support.
- Kris Foss, RLMC chief talent officer, for keeping Carrie calm, praying with her and driving her to Virginia to meet up with family. “Kris didn’t add to my wife’s fear and stress, she’s took it away,” Rauzi said. “Carrie is so blessed to have had Kris drive her to Virginia.”
- Andrea Pastor, RLMC chief ambulatory officer, for praying with Carrie and helping her get organized for the trip to and extended stay in Duluth. “Andrea was so soothing to Carrie at our house. She rose above the issue and became the leader she is.”
- Kelly Hagen, RLMC chief nursing officer, for sitting and praying with Carrie, keeping her up to date on Rauzi’s condition.
- Katie Chezick, RLMC director of pharmacy, for preparing the medications to be administered to Rauzi the entire time he was in the emergency department at RLMC.
- Ashlynn Ettestad, RLMC director of nursing, for taking the Rauzi’s dog, “Bella,” for two weeks.
- Blair Hjelle, administrative assistant, for alerting Marygaye Tate to the situation, and for cleaning up Robb’s office after everyone left.
- Emily Gedde, RLMC marketing generalist, for sitting and praying with Carrie and cleaning up Robb’s office after the event.
- Tanner Bombenger, paramedic with the International Falls Ambulance Service, was onsite when Rauzi went into cardiac arrest and stayed with nursing staff if they needed an extra set of hands and offer reminder of when to defibrillate.