Originally posted on 09/08/2018:

MN Ground- WE ARE HERE!


Journal entry by Mindy McBride — 2 minutes ago
Never have I ever been so happy to land on MN ground as I was today in the 3 o'clock hour.


This morning just before 9am Las Vegas time a team arrived to UMC Intensive Care Unit to begin the transport for Andy. The lines were tangled, his oxygen levels were a little lower, and I was a mess as I tried to help the team. There was a part of me thinking this wasn't going to happen today. I watched the doctors and nurses line the hallway and wish us good luck as we began to exit. Soji (charge nurse) stepped out and gave me a hug, I held my tears as I tried to remain calm and brave for Andy. Although I was so happy to be leaving Las Vegas there was this part of me that was anxious for all the unknowns that lie ahead.

Outside of UMC main entrance the two air ambulance nurses and I boarded the ambulance and took off to a Las Vegas airport. As we were getting situated I was told the flight would be 2 hours 50 minutes and there was not a bathroom on board so try and go now if needed. The air ambulance plane was staffed with two pilots, 2 air ambulance nurses, Andy and myself. There was not a bit of spare space in the plane and it was hot, sticky and tight. The small plane arrived at the St. Paul airport where we were met by an ambulance that transported us to Regions Hospital. Upon arriving in our new space I was greeted by a familiar face that I had not seen in nearly 20 years! One of our nurses and I graduated high school together! Needless to say they jumped right in, changing his lines, bathing him and reading through his massive chart that was sent with. We are currently working on stabilizing his blood pressure and getting accustomed to the new space.