“Mary’s coming home.”
QUICK FACTS:
- A hospital gave Mary Sorg (76) a terminal prognosis, recommending she wait to die from Covid-19 in comfort care after the hospital’s treatment protocol failed to help her.
- Then Mary and her family took matters into their own hands.
- After doing research, Mary, her family, and her advocates were able to convince the reluctant hospital doctors to allow Mary—who has six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren—to receive a corticosteroid treatment called budesonide (here), administered through a nebulizer.
- The budesonide treatment was recommended to Mary by patient advocates and Dr. Richard Bartlett, a 28-year medical practitioner and former member of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s Health Disparities Task Force. Dr. Bartlett and his network have led countless patients suffering severe health deterioration after becoming infected with coronavirus through tremendous health reversals by prescribing one-milligram budesonide nebulizer treatments every four hours.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MARY:
- After battling a COVID infection for nearly two weeks, Mary’s oxygen saturation level fell to 67% on Friday, at which point she was taken to the hospital.
- The following evening, Mary’s health deteriorated and her granddaughter, Breck Johnson, found videos featuring Dr. Bartlett while researching ways to help her grandmother. Breck also contacted Greta Crawford, a COVID hospital survivor and founder of protocolkills.com.
- On Sunday morning, Breck was able to contact Laura Bartlett—budesonideworks.com co-founder, patient advocate, and Dr. Bartlett’s publicist—as Mary’s health continued to decline and the medication prescribed by the hospital wasn’t working.
- Laura coached the family on how to demand the protocol they wanted, including removing IV dexamethasone and adding nebulized budesonide. She contacted the owner of synergyhealthdpc.com, an online healthcare platform, on behalf of Mary’s family, to help obtain home oxygen and prescription medications for Mary once she left the hospital. Laura also coordinated with Ashley McCarty, a former ER nurse, who helped explain medical terms and procedures to Mary and family.
- Across hundreds of daily texts and phone conversations, Laura explained to Breck the steps she’d need to take with the hospital in order to obtain budesonide treatment for her grandmother. Laura eventually transferred Breck to Dr. Bartlett on the phone, when Dr. Bartlett detailed the steps Breck and family would need to take in order to get Mary the budesonide treatment and emphasized the need to be assertive with the hospital.
- By this point, Mary had “hit rock bottom,” Breck told American Faith. “Grandma kept saying things like ‘I’m done’ and ‘I can’t keep doing this. I’m so tired.'” But Mary’s family insisted they had found a promising new treatment. “Just hold on,” they told Mary. “We’re going to get you some help. We’re going to get you out of here. You’re not going to die in the hospital. We’re going to save you. Don’t worry.”
- Breck told American Faith that the hospital had given no hope for Mary. “I could tell nobody in the hospital was fighting for her. And she felt it. She was scared,” Breck said.
- Nevertheless, the family prayed for Mary and prepared for their conversation with the doctor, during which they would demand the budesonide treatment.
- At this point, the hospital recommended that Mary be placed on a ventilator. Mary’s family told them ‘no.’
- The hospital even advised moving Mary to comfort care, meaning the hospital had believed there was no chance Mary would recover.
- Mary’s family declined comfort care, too, instead demanding the doctor give Mary one milligram of budesonide administered through a nebulizer every four hours.
- The hospital doctor argued that the corticosteroid’s effectiveness was “not really proven,” but Mary’s family and advocates persisted in their demands for budesonide and ceasing dexamethasone treatment.
- The hospital doctor reluctantly agreed, and while the hospital did not administer the amount they had initially asked for, the hospital eventually gave Mary the full dose of budesonide.
- This is when Mary started getting better, her oxygen levels improving almost immediately. “It felt like Christmas,” Breck told American Faith. “Every time we called to check up on grandma, she was getting better. I could barely sleep that night. I was just so excited to call again to see how much she’d improved.”
- From that point on, “the doctors never brought up death again,” according to Mary’s family. “We were all blown away.”
- Breck went on to say that despite Mary’s astounding health reversal after being given budesonide, the hospital doctors never once acknowledged that the corticosteroid treatment had worked. “The doctor just acted like it was a crazy coincidence,” Mary’s family said.
- Mary’s family and advocates were even able to secure 1.5 milligrams of budesonide every four hours for Mary, a landmark move for patient advocacy.
- On Monday morning, the hospital had told Mary to say goodbye to her family. That same night, after taking budesonide, Mary was making arrangements to go home.
- American Faith asked Mary what advice she’d give people who are experiencing what she went through. “Listen to your heart,” Mary told us. “Listen to your family. Trust and be open. Let your family members help you.”
- Mary’s family also encourages families of sick COVID patients to, “even when you’re scared, and you feel like you don’t know it all, trust your gut and speak up for your loved one.”
WHAT DR. BARTLETT SAID:
- “Budesonide has been proven to be effective for early treatment by Oxford University. Oxford did the stoic trial and concluded that 90% of COVID hospitalizations would be prevented with early budesonide treatment,” Dr. Bartlett told American Faith.
- He also pointed to a publication in the journal Saudi Journal of Anesthesia showing that “Nebulized budesonide improved oxygenation, peak, and plateau airway pressures and significantly reduced inflammatory markers” among the sick, according to the study.
- “Budesonide is a proven treatment for respiratory disease,” said Dr. Bartlett. “But many patients are being denied the life-saving treatment by hospitals.”
- “Mary’s story proves the effectiveness of budesonide,” he went on to say. “This is evidence-based medicine at its purest. I credit those hospital doctors who allowed Mary the treatment. Because now, Mary’s coming home.”
- Dr. Bartlett finished by warning that many “hospitals are trampling on the patient’s rights.” “But we do have some doctors who are willing to listen to their patient’s wishes,” he said. “Which is how Mary’s story ends with new life instead of a funeral.”
- Dr. Bartlett also pointed to the work of Tennessee Senator Mark Pody and Texas Senator Bob Hall, who have legislated for patient rights throughout the COVID pandemic.
BACKGROUND:
- Dr. Bartlett recommends searching budesonideworks.com for peer-reviewed studies, medical journal publications, and news articles proving the efficacy of budesonide.
- “Early treatment saves lives,” says Dr. Bartlett. “If you get treated early, it doesn’t have to be a near-death experience. And if your doctor won’t treat you with budesonide, please visit synergyhealthdpc.com and navigate to the ‘COVID Care‘ section. A nurse will call you within 24 hours.”
- Dr. Richard Bartlett, Barbara Bartlett, and Laura Bartlett will be participating in the “Life 2022: Living in Freedom Experience Conference & Expo” on Feb 24–26 in Irving, Texas.
- Dr. Bartlett can be reached through Facebook, LinkedIn, and email.
