Albert & Adrienne Stegena – Pittsburgh, PA
Albert died September 27th, 2021
Adrienne died October 8th, 2021
UPMC Passavant
The story of Albert & Adrienne Stegena is being told by their daughter, Kimberly Brand. Albert was a retired Pittsburgh City Police Officer and Marine, with his stay-at-home wife Adrienne. Both were very much loved by the family, friends, and community. This is Kimberly’s account and experiences with UPMC Passavant of Pittsburgh where she lost both of her parents.
My name is Kimberly Brand. I’m 33 hears old and I’m now orphaned because of UPMC Passavant Hospital. My mom, who was 70 and healthy, contracted covid at the end of August beginning of September. She refused to go to the hospital because she didn’t trust them, she was right. When she finally decided to go her pulse ox was 77. She couldn’t walk straight and was struggling to breath. She wanted me to take her to Passavant because we had a friend who had a good experience there. Once we got there she was put straight into oxygen and her numbers came up. They of course wanted to keep her and started her on antibiotics and remdesavir.
By the 3rd day she was placed on heated high flow at 100%. The respiratory therapist said, “shes going to need the vent”. My mother refused. After 2 days they finally told her there was another way to receive oxygen but wasn’t the vent. It was a bi-pap. Funny they didn’t mention this 2 days ago. I asked about ivermectin instead of remdesavir and was told, “you cant get that unless it’s from a vet” which we all know is a flat out lie!!
While my mom was in the hospital my father, who was 83, became very very depressed and worried. As I was trying to take care of my dad, my sister would go to the hospital and take care of my mom during visiting hours. Every day from 10am to 8pm. She literally stopped working to tend to my mother. Why? Because my mom would go 12 hours without a drink of water or someone checking on her at times. While I was home I noticed my dad wouldn’t eat. And he started acting confused (mind you he had a cerebral stroke 2 years prior but was doing pretty good). At first I chalked it up to the stroke, but after a while I checked his pulse ox and it was at 91%. He had it too.
My nieces came over to do an at home test on him and of course he came back positive. So they went to Passavant as well. I too tested positive but my pulse ox was 100%. I just felt really crappy. After I was done being quarantined I ran RIGHT to the hospital to visit my parents. Dad was good on heated high flow and mom was good on the bipap.
While home I did a lot of research. High doses of vitamin C and D through an IV show a lot of promise. So I brought this up to the hospital. “Well, we don’t do that here” what do you mean you don’t do that here?! I can go to an oxygen bar in the south side and have some uneducated woman give me an IV with high doses of vitamin C. “Well we dont have that here” I said “well can you get that here?! I’ll get it you administor it.” “No that’s not how this works.” REALLY?!?! So instead they did vitamin pills which mom had a hard time swallowing. They ended up giving her a G-tube through her nose to get nutrition and would crush the vitamins and give it through there.
The doctors and nurses didn’t communicate with each other AT ALL!!! The one doctor would come in and turn her machine down so that her body would start breathing on its own and not become totally dependent on the oxygen. Then 6 hours later (even though she would hold her numbers) another doctor would come in and turn her machine back up to 100%. This is so frustrating!!! We also had to BEG to get her budisonide, which she was already prescribed by her doctor. It took DAYS for them to “OK” simple requests like this constantly.
We also had them “train” a nurse to push meds through my mother’s g-tube and clogged the freaking thing!!! You don’t practice this stuff on people THIS SICK!!!! Thank God a nurse was able to flush it out. In the meantime my dad seemed to be doing good! They brought his oxygen down and his pulse ox was staying up! Great! However whoever put his IV in did it wrong and half the meds and saline ended up all of him and the floor. Yeah. That night my dads pulse ox dropped. We wanted to know why? Because he was doing pretty good(but he was being super defiant and would eat or let the hospital help him) they said “oh this happens with covid patients sometimes”. So now hes back up to 100% heated high flow and refused the bipap of needed.
He was staying in the low 90s so we weren’t super worried. While there I asked a really honest nurse what they are seeing with covid. She said, “its driving us crazy! Nothing makes sense. Young old vaxxed unvaxxed healthy unhealthy…. everyone! Some treatment works on some and others it does nothing!” She said there was a 22 year old double vaxxed female on a vent there. My heart broke to hear that! But I was happy to hear her honesty. After that they decided to do blood tests on my dad. By this point he had an infection. They told us “its MRSA and he’ll probably become septic” (mind you after researching remdesavir it also causes sepsis). MRSA?!? WHERE DID HE GET MRSA FROM?! THE HOSPITAL THAT’S WHERE!!!
That night at midnight we got a phone call to come in. He wasnt conscious and his heart rate was extremely high. Expect the worst. The was Sept 27th.My whole family goes to the hospital. My parents have 7 children between the 2 of them. Dad had 1 boy and 2 girls plus me and mom had 2 boys and 1 girl plus me. I was the only child they had together. I also have MANY nieces and nephews whom they we’re all very very close with. The doctor said “once we remove his oxygen he’ll probably go within the horr.” My dad lived for another NINE HOURS with no oxygen on him!!! Once he was gone not even 20 minutes later, the nurse goes “where do you want him? We need to know right now.” Where do I want him?! I want him freaking alive at home! With me!!!
We go to inform my mom and she looked so unbelievably sad. She said “i knew this is what would happen” with tears in her eyes. My heart broke and I laid my head on her chest. She ran her fingers through my hair trying to comfort me. We plan the funeral and everything. My sister is still with my mom from 9am to 8pm every day.
THIS PART IS FOR YOU TAMI MINNIER!!! I check the mailbox one day and theres something for my dad from UPMC Passavant. So I open it. Want to know what it was?! It was a survey for my father to fill out asking about how his stay was, with his “release date” being the day he freaking died!!! I was livid! I sent the survey back with a letter informing them that Albert could not respond because they killed him. But if they’d like me to fill out a survey I’d be MORE than happy to!
Once the funeral was over we had to wait to bury my father because he was going to be buried at the Alleghenies which is a military cemetery. So we had to bury him when they said we could. My father was buried on October 6th. It was one of the hardest days of my life, or so I thought. The next day I went to be with my mom. At this point she was taking Ativan every 4-6 hours. So she slept a lot. But she asked me “did they honor daddy well?” I said “mommy you wouldn’t have believed it! There were so many cops escorting us” (my dad was retired pgh police and all 3 of my brothers are police officers too, as well as my sister-in-law and nephew). It was truly amazing and touching to see and be involved. She smiled and went back to sleep.
At 4am I got a call from my sister. Mommy wasn’t doing good and need morphine for the pain. I knew what that meant. We again all rushed to the hospital. We went in and they informed us she had a collapsed lung. My brother asked if this could have been from her being on the bipap which at first the doctor said no not at all, then finally admitted yes. They literally blew her lung out. My mom however was ready for them to put the tube in WITHOUT being sedated in her room so they could inflate her lung again. She was READY!!! Then the docto rpulls my sister and I out and informs us she has fibrosis throughout her lungs. Fibrosis?!? You’ve taken HOW MANY X-RAYS?! And NOW she has fibrosis?!
We went in to tell my mom and she just shook her head. I started to cry terribly and asked, “mommy, are you ready to go be with Jesus?” She gave me the saddest look, not sadness for her, but for me, and shook her head yes. My pastor was there at this time and asked her the same question. She said yes again. My heart was shattering all over again. I hadnt even processed my dad being gone. We just buried him 2 days prior. I ran outside of the hospital and screamed, ” God, why are you doing this?! Why now?!” And he spoke to me. He said, “there is a great war coming and I needed you not to worry about them.” Which made me cry even more. I put in my big girl pants and went back inside to say goodbye to my mother. She waited until everyone showed up and was able to say goodbye. She was even cracking jokes to the very end!
While waiting for everyone to show up my sister and I got pulled into a family room to talk to hospital staff. They were saying there were too many people there. I said what are you talking about? We literally just did this last week WITH THE SAME PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU KILLED MY DAD. She then said she was sorry I felt that way but was truly concerned about all the patients there. I laughed hysterically. I said “you care?! Is that why your facility sent my dead father a survey asking about how good his stay and treatment was with the his “release date” being the day he died?! IN YOUR HOSPITAL?!” They both looked mortified. They said well you can allow 6 people in the room at a time. I said well my parents had 7 freaking children which one of my brothers and sisters do you want me to tell they can’t stay in there? They said well we’ll let 7 then. I said no! We just did this last week when you killed me dad! You’re going to let all of us stay! They finally agreed as long as we stayed out of the nurses way and didnt congregate in the hallway.
Prior to this, and I wasn’t aware of until after the fact, the hospital police showed up and almost kicked my mothers door in! My brother who was standing outside of the door at the time asked what the problem was. The officer said “we got a report of a man carrying a gun in this room and in this hall way”. My brother said “yes that’s my son. Hes a plain clothes officer on duty right now. He explained all this to the staff on the first floor” the officers apologized, while a doctor stood behind them screaming that my nephew “NEEDED TO BE REMOVED IMMEDIATELY! BECAUSE HE HAD A GUN!” The hospital police informed her there’s nothing they can do. Hes an on duty officer. She literally huffed away. This was insane in my eyes!!
After a while They finally gave her the big dose of morphine to put her into a deep sleep. When she was finally unconscious, my sister removed her bipap one last time. It was beautiful and heart breaking all at the same time. We were praying over her and talked to her for about an hr. When all of a sudden she opened her eyes. She sat straight up in bed (mind you she was in so much pain from her collapsed lung she could hardly move) without using her arms. She was looking up, with a look of shock an awe on her face. She began to reach her hands towards the ceiling, as if she wanted to go to where/what she was seeing. She honestly looked like she was going to climb out of bed and walk there!!! It scared the crap out of me at first. But I realized what and who she was seeing. She slowly laid back down. And her heart stopped about an hour later.
We stayed there for over an hr. Not wanting to leave. I even climbed into bed with her. It might sound weird but I’m so happy I did. One last cuddle with my mommy. She too was taken away from me by UPMC and their lack of attention, staffing, communication and much much more! The nurses were all pretty good! Matt was my favorite! But the Doctors?!? They are HORRIBLE!!! And have a server god-complex.
Oh and my father was gracious enough to receive a SECOND survey from Passavant asking about his stay!! Very kind of them right?! So I decided now I want to talk to who’s name is on the bottom of this letter. Tami Minnier is her name. So I call Tami 5 days in a row. Tami will not call me back. I just want to let Tami know so this DOES NOT HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE!!! Tami had 4 different people call me instead of her because shes “so busy” when I finally exploded on the last lady. I asked her why was my dead father sent 2 surveys?!
I also asked why they wouldn’t administer ivermectin when its been around for years and is showing promising results! I said why are you using remdesavir?! Because when a study was done on remdesavir it killed 53.1% of the people who took it!! WHY WOULD THAT BE YOUR PROTOCOL?!?! I felt bad for this lady a bit, but she had no words for me. I’m now in the process of cleaning up the pieces of my life UPMC Passavant destroyed. I’m trying to get my parents estate in order, and find out how to live life without them by my side. But most importantly, I’m trying to share awareness of what is actually happening in these hospitals our loved ones are in. I’m trying to share the lack of attention, compassion, and down right negligence that is happening. You can not get another med other than remdesavir in a large city hospital. And it has over a 50% chance of killing you, not the virus itself. Why?!? How does this make any sense?!? If you or a loved one ends up in the hospital DEMAND ivermectin! It is the number 2 protocol on the NIH website!