What happened to our brother, Ronnie?

Hi all,

 

Those of you who know me and have followed our family's posts over the last month, thank you for your endless love and support. Ronnie was our angel here on earth. A pure and innocent, loving beam of light - and he was taken from us abruptly on September 16, 2021.

 

Many of you know that Ronnie was admitted for Covid-19 back on August 22nd, 2021. He was taken to our local hospital and given treatment that resulted in a major bowel perforation, and the resulting loss of his large bowel. He continued to pull through, beating the odds, which kept stacking up against him, and showing continued strength despite the never-ending blows (I will write separately about the events that took place within the hospital because it is entirely worthy of its own post and should act as a warning to all.) He overcame covid, and was breathing with no need for oxygen support and no longer receiving any supportive medications aside from blood thinners to prevent clotting and breathing treatments to continue breaking up the crud in his lungs. He was healing from his bowel perforation, and we were learning about the care process for his ileostomy bag. He was eating well and digesting well. He was talking again and sleeping through the night again. Doctors and nurses were optimistic about him returning home and continuing care with IV antibiotics via a PICC line, which we would need to be discharged. It was time to go home.

 

After many days awaiting the procedure, and one long, three-hour failed attempt later, Ronnie was brought down to Interventional Radiology to have a "Tunneled Powerline catheter" placed, which would serve as a picc line - a simple 30 minute procedure. I was told this would be done under sedation, and his fearful resistance to the procedure would not be a factor under the "conscious sedation". What was supposed to be a procedure that I was assured would happen early in the morning (he was not allowed to eat or drink after midnight, so this was paramount to me,) took all day long. I made NINE phone calls through the day, speaking with the house supervisor, his nurse multiple times, and the Interventional radiology team to plead for them to get him down early, rather than let him go without food, water, his zoloft, and his anti-anxiety medications. They continued to push antibiotics and various IV fluids, anti-fungals, and injectables on an empty stomach, and it was obvious that he was starting to lose some strength as the day went on. He was taken down at nearly 4PM. Family was not allowed to go back with him, and he was not sedated when they took him away. Within approximately 10-15 minutes, there were announcements requesting that physicians report to radiology, a concerning emergency alert. Not long after, a physician brought my mother back to watch Ronnie receive shocks from a defibrillator and he asked her how long she would like to continue. He told her if they continued to try, Ronnie would likely suffer further brain damage and they were unsure of the outcome. Upon seeing the traumatic measures being taken to save him, she relented and allowed our brother to rest at the doctors' admonition.

 

Now Ronnie is gone, and none of us know what happened when they took him away. The hospital has not answered our messages requesting answers one week later. We are left with planning funeral arrangements instead of home healthcare schedules. We are full of grief and we want to know how this happened on the day we were to bring him home. This is a tough time for our family, and we need to request help from our community to lay Ronnie to rest respectfully, and investigate what happened.

 

Ronnie has always been special needs, and my mother served as his loving caregiver. Their fixed income left little for extras. What they did have was being thoughtfully used for furniture and the items she would need to make his return home comfortable. Never did we think we would need to put anything aside for a funeral. Under the suspicious circumstances, we've also requested the state medical examiner to perform an autopsy, which has fallen on deaf ears. It is up to our family to hire a physician to perform a private autopsy to determine how his untimely death occurred. We need to know what happened, and we need to seek justice for Ronnie where justice is due. He was not just another Covid death.

 

If you cannot donate, please consider sharing. Maybe there is advice out there. Maybe there are similar stories out there that will help us put pieces together. Maybe there are individuals who were in the room and know what happened. Maybe there is help out there.

 

I will continue to write the whole story and eventually, when I feel stronger, I will talk about what the three weeks was like at this hospital, along with the multiple interventions and traumatic events that led up to Ronnie's journey home. People need to be aware of what the possible repercussions are to these experimental treatments. If you have any questions, please e-mail me, text, or use messenger to reach out. We appreciate your help so very much!

 

Ronnie's Obituary:

 

Ronald (Ronnie) Scott Wagner, 47 years young, of Venice, Florida, passed away on September 16, 2021. Ronnie was born in Frankfort, Indiana on March 3, 1974 to Randall and Blanca Wagner. He was the first of four siblings and a light who burned bright for Jesus from early childhood.

 

Everyone who knew Ronnie, knew he had different capabilities than other adults. Rather, he remained a child - innocent, full of laughter, and bursting at the seams with love for all he would meet. He had dreams to preach and carried his bible and dictionary around wherever he went, ready to read and recite scripture when he felt Jesus lead his heart. He loved to spend time with family, color pictures with his nieces and nephews, play Mario and basketball, sing praise, give giant hugs, and fill every room with laughter.

 

Ronnie is survived by his mother and caregiver, Blanca Estela Wagner (66) of Venice, brothers Andrew Scott Wagner (44) of North Port, Anson Scott Wagner (43) of Venice, sister Crystal Annette Barrett (34) of North Port, as well as many nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, in-laws and friends. He was predeceased by his loving father, Randall Martin Wagner, his beloved grandparents Raymond and Noreen Hall, and Lewis and Rosa King, who with many cousins, aunts, and uncles, welcomed him into his new everlasting life.

 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28