ADRIENNE: WELCOME BACK TO”UPFRONT.
“OUR NEXT GUEST HAS A UNIQUEPERSPECTIVE ON THE PANDEMIC ANDTHE ECONOMY.
AARON OLVER WAS STATE COMMERCESECRETARY UNDER FORMER GOVERNORJIM DOYLE.
11 YEARS AGO, HE SURVIVEDNEAR FATAL BOUT WI THE H1N1FLU.
HE JOINS US NOW ON “UPFRONT” TOTALK ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE, ANDHOW IT’S SHAPED HIS THINKING ONTHE COVID-19 OUTBREAK.
WE APPRECIATE YOU TALKING WITHUS.
YOU HAD H1N1 IN 2009, AND THEREARE SOME SCARY SIMILARITIES WITHCORONAVIRUS, INCLUDING BEING ONA VENTILATOR.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE.
AARON: THANK YOU FOR HAVING MEON.
THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF AFLASHBACK.
I HAD GONE TO A CONFERENCETHROUGH AIRPORTS, MAKINGCONNECTING FLIGHTS, I WAS INHOTELS, I SHOOK A BUNCH OFHANDS, I ACCEPTED AN AWARD ONBEHALF OF THE GOVERNOR, AND SOMEWHERE IN THE CHAIN, I GOTH1N1.
I WAS KNOCKED OUT FOR ABOUT AWEEK, AND I WAS AT HOME.
MY BREATHING WAS GETTING WORSEAND WORSE.
I EVENTUALLY WENT TO THEEMERGENC ROOM THINKING THEYCOULD GIVE ME AN ANTIBIOTIC FORA SECONDARY INFECTION AND SENTME HOME.
TO MY SURPRISE, THEY ADMITTEDME, AND I WOUND UP STAYING FOR AMONTH IN A COMA AND ON AMECHANICAL VENTILATOR, SORT OFLIVING THROUGH THIS EXPERIENCEOF SURVIVING A VIRAL PANDEMIC IN AN ICU.
THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF AFLASHBACK.
ADRIENNE: WHAT DO YOU WANTPEOPLE TO KNOW CONSIDERING YOUREXPERIENCE? AARON: I GUESS, YOU KNOW, IREALLY WANT PEOPLE TO THINKABOUT TWO THINGS.
ONE IS THE ICU VISIT IS KIND OFA LOTTERY IN A BAD WAY.
YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY IDEA IF ITIS GOING TO AFFECT YOU OR YOURSPOUSE, YOUR CHILD, YOUR PARENT.
YOU KNOW, IT IS NOT CLEAR WHONEEDS THIS KIND OF INTENSIVECARE, BUT THESE RESOURCES AREINTENSE.
I HAD NOT JUST A MECHANICALVENTILATOR, I HAD MY O NURSE, I HAD A NEGATIVE PRESSURE ROOI HAD A SPECIAL SPACESHIP BED, WE CALLED IT, THAT ROTATED MYBODY TO CLEAR THE FLUID FROM MY LUNGS.
I WAS HEAVILY SEDATED ORDERTO DEAL WITH THE TUBE IN MYTHROAT.
AND THERE ARE STARTING TO BESHORTAGES OF THOSE SEDATIVES ANDTHE IC DRUGS.
MY KIDNEYS FAILED, SO I ENDED UPON A DIALYSIS MACHINE, AND THEREARE LIMITED NUMBERS OF DIALYSISMACHINES, SO THIS IS A VERYRESEARCH INTENSIVE PROCESS TOKEEP SOMEONE ALIVE IN AN ICU.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT WE TRYTO WORK TOGETHER WITH AS MUCHPASSION AND KINDNESS AS WE CANSO WE CAN PROTECT SOME REALLYINTENSE RESOURCES FOR PEOPLETHAT NEED IT THE MOST.
THAT WAS 1.
I WAS MAKING.
THE OTHER POINT I WAS TRYING TOMAKE IS THAT — THAT WAS ONEPOINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE.
THE OTHER POINT I WAS TRYING TOMAKE IS ECONOMICS AND HEALTHCA IS ENTWINED IN THE WAY ITHAS NOT BEEN BEFORE.
IT IS NOT ONE OR THE OTHER, NOTONE VERSUS THE OTHER, WE NEED TOBE TACKLING HEALTH CARE IN ORDERTO ADVANCE THE ECONOMY.
ADRIENNE: WHAT DO YOU SAY TOPEOPLE WHO WANT TO START OPENINGUP BUSINESSES AND RESTAURANTS, CONSIDERING YOUR EXPERIENCESURVIVING SOMETHING LIKE THIS? AARON: I HAVE COMPASSION FOREVERYONE, RIGHT? I DO NOT WANT TO SEE ANYONE GOTHROUGH AN ICU STAY THAT DOESNOT NEED TO.
AT THE SAME TIME, I HAVE SPENTMY WHOLE LIFE TRYING TO CREATEJOBS AND GROW THE ECONOMY.
I THINK THAT RIGHT NOW, YOUKNOW, WE ARE HAVING A LITTLE BITOF AN ARTIFICIAL DEBATE I THINKBECAUSE IT IS NOT ABOUT WHAT THEGOVERNMENT SAYS IS THE RIGHTTIME TO OPEN THE ECONOMY, BUT IT IS WHEN PEOPLE HAVE CONFIDENCETO GO BACK TO RESTAURANTS, CONCERTS, SPORTING EVENTS, ORTHE GYM.
WE NEED TO TACKLE THE HEALTHCARE CRISIS SO WE CAN GIVEPEOPLE THE CONFIDENCE TO GETBACK OUT THERE AND START TOBEHAVE NORMALLY AGAIN.
ADRIENNE: I KNOW YOU ARE ALSOCONCERNED ABOUT SOME OF THETHINGS THAT HAPPENED FORCORONAVIRUS PATIENTS ONCE THEYGET OUT OF THE HOSPITAWHAT DO YOU THINK LAWMAKERS AND DECISION-MAKERS SHOULD BETHINKING ABOUT? AARON: SO, YOU KNOW, I CAN ONLYKIND OF SPEAK BASED ON MY OWNEXPERIENCE.
I AM NOT AN EXPERT IN HEALTHCARE OR RECOVERY, BUT ONE OF THETHINGS THAT I THINK WE CAN STARTTALKING ABOUT SOON IS HOW WEHELP CORONAVIRUS SURVIVORSRECOVER BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE MECHANICALVENTILATORS AND AND UP HOSPITALROOMS IS THE FIRST STEENOUGH DIALYSIS MACHINES.
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF ASPECTSABOUT STAYING IN AN ICU THATPEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT.
THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED IPSYCHOSIS, WHERE WHEN YOU WAKEUP FROM BEING HEAVILY SEDATEDAND ON A LOT OF DRUGS YOUR BODYIS NOT USED TO, YOU HALLUCINATEAND DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REAL.
I WOKE UP AND HAD LOST 30 POUNDSIN A MONTH.
I COULD BARELY WALK.
IT TOOK TW NURSES HOLDING EACHOF MY ARMS AND A TANK OF OXYGENTO WALK ACROSS THE ROOM.
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME THEYHELPED ME GO UP ONE FLIGHT OFSTAIRS.
I FELT LIKE ROCKY.
THAT WAS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENTTO MAKE IT UP A FLIGHT OFSTAIRS.
THEY TOLD ME AT 1.
I MIGHT HAVETO GO TO A NURSING HOME TO LEARNHOW TO WHAT — AT ON POINT IWOULD HAVE TO GO TO A NURSINGHOME TO LEARN HOW TO WALK AGAIN.
SOME PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY HAVETO STAY ON DIALYSIS FOR A WHILEWHEN THEY LEAVE IF THEY HADKIDNEY FAILED, LIKE I DID.
SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO NEEDMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO GO THROUGHSTAY LIKE I DID WIND UP HAVINGPTSD SYMPTOMS.
THEY TOLD ME THAT MIGHT HAPPENAND I DID NOT THINK IT WOULDHAPPEN TO ME, BUT IT DID HAPPENTO ME.
I THINK THERE IS A LOT OFAFTERCARE PEOPLE MIGHT NEED, ASWELL.
ADRIENNE: I’M SURE THIS IS NOTEASY TO TALK ABOUT, SO WE REALLYAPPRECIATE YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
AARON: THANKS FOR SHARING.
AARON:I HOPE IT HELPS — THANKSFOR SHARING.
AARON: I HOP IT HELPS SOMEPEOPLE.
ADRIENNE: NEXT, WISCONSINSENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN ON WHATSHE’D SAY IF ASKED TO BE VICEPRESID.
