Being home with their three boys for the holidays is incredibly amazing for Ryan Goertzen and his wife Jenny, who live southwest of Henderson. They both considered it a miracle for Ryan to be back home before Christmas after his long medical journey that began in late August.
Along their journey, they have felt the power of countless prayers for Ryan’s recovery and how they believe only God could have orchestrated the timing of certain events in their ordeal.
In 2022, Ryan and his wife Jenny were featured on heartlandbeat.com in our series, “Positives in a Pandemic,” highlighting how the pandemic has helped small towns like Henderson grow. The Goertzens decided to move back to Henderson from McKinney, Texas, during the pandemic since Ryan could work remotely and travels frequently for his job with AAR, a global provider of aviation services.
Since that first interview, the Goertzens have completed the renovation of Ryan’s family’s homeplace in the country, and their family has become very involved in the Henderson community, school, and church. Their oldest son, Jake, age 18, is enrolled at Southeast Community College, and their two younger sons, Josh, 17, and Jack, 14, are busy teenagers at Heartland.
But their world was turned upside down when Ryan began experiencing sudden mobility issues and more back in August. He woke up one day in late August, went to his home office to work, and had trouble writing a check, and his right foot felt weird. The symptoms sent him to see his doctor in Henderson, and after a complete checkup, nothing seemed amiss.
The following weekend, he was out boating with his family and had trouble keeping his balance on the boat. Jenny knew something wasn’t right, and they returned to the doctor. An MRI was recommended, and to expedite the process, they contacted a neurosurgeon in Texas who had seen Ryan for a spinal fusion when they lived there, and he was able to order the MRI quickly.
The scans revealed a cavernous angioma on the left side of his brain, which is an abnormal cluster of blood vessels that was about the size of a ping-pong ball. “At that time, we didn’t think it was even operable and were thinking Ryan would need some sort of experimental drugs or radiation,” said Jenny.
Going back a few years, when Ryan was only 21, he had viral meningitis and had brain scans afterward that inadvertently revealed several cavernous angioma clusters. They were asymptomatic, but as a result, he lost his FAA medical certificate for flying. It’s rare for the clusters to bleed, but the particular cluster that began bleeding, producing his symptoms, was in the worst possible location in his brain.
In early September, a God sign for them was how they moved up their original Oct. 13th appointment at the Mayo Clinic to Oct. 7th. “I really felt I needed to get there sooner. Thankfully, our neurosurgeon in Texas had some connections, and after Mayo looked at my scans beforehand, which they normally don’t do, they got me scheduled for the 7th,” said Ryan.
In the meantime, Ryan’s prayers for healing seemed to be hitting a brick wall as he experienced a fall getting out of bed on Oct. 3. Everything went downhill that day, with his symptoms worsening as the cluster started bleeding again. He was nearly paralyzed on his right side. But as it turned out, God had a different answer to Ryan’s prayer through what seemed like a setback.
Ryan and Jenny count October 3rd as a miracle in their long journey. “My initial prayer was for it not to bleed again. I was getting better up until then, but the absolute opposite of what I asked God for happened,” said Ryan.
“We met with Mayo’s leading neurosurgeon, Dr. Lanzino, who specializes in cavernous malformations, and he told us the bleeding that occurred was good because it created a sort of canal so he could access the cluster and perform surgery to remove it. We never imagined it could be removed,” said Jenny.
Ironically, his condition had to worsen before he could get better. Surgery was scheduled for October 14, and they were hopeful about the outcome.
“When this all started, I never feared or worried I wouldn’t get better. I really thought that after the surgery, I’d regain my mobility, and everything would be fine,” said Ryan. He never imagined the extensive rehab and hard work that’s required after the type of brain injury he sustained.
On the day of his surgery, all of their extended family were at Mayo to support and encourage Ryan and Jenny. They would certainly need it as the surgery went longer than expected, and he suffered a stroke during the surgery. The incision was on the left side of his head and required 40 stitches.
News of Ryan’s situation spread quickly through not only the Henderson community but also Ryan’s extensive network of aviation colleagues and friends worldwide. “We could actually feel the power of those praying for me,” said Ryan. The outpouring of encouragement, phone calls, and notes all came at the right time for Ryan and Jenny.
Before Ryan’s surgery, he had conversations with two friends who said, ‘I don’t know why I’m going to tell you this, but I feel led to tell you that you are going to be fine.’ “These friends didn’t even know each other and used the same words! That doesn’t just happen. I believe God used people in my life for some incredible encouragement.”
“The first time Dr. Lanzino came out to talk to me after the surgery, he was visibly upset and really couldn’t give me an answer about what Ryan’s condition might be. He said it was the most difficult surgery he’d ever had, taking about eight hours. The stroke had occurred near the end of the surgery, and they just didn’t know the extent of its damage yet,” said Jenny.
She didn’t see Ryan until about 10:30 that night, and he was pretty out of it, considering the trauma of such a long brain surgery.
“Initially, he was able to make eye contact with me, so I went up close and asked him if he knew who I was. He answered my name in a barely audible whisper, and I breathed a sigh of relief. He then proceeded to spell out J-E-N-N-Y, which was pretty funny, but I knew at that moment he was still there!”
The following day, Jenny was encouraged because he had the hunting channel on the TV when she entered his room, which she took as a good sign since he loved watching the hunting channel! On October 22, with the help of the Mayo Clinic and working with Madonna in Lincoln, an Angel flight on a Leer Jet was arranged to transport Ryan to his next stop, the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln.
“I arrived at Madonna on a stretcher and walked out with only a cane about six weeks later,” said Ryan. He quickly began working with Madonna therapists in their specialized brain injury program to deal with his significant right-sided weakness in both his arm and leg.
Ryan engaged in high-intensity gait training with both his occupational and physical therapists, which pushed Ryan’s heart rate to a specific target level to assist in significantly improving his gait function, balance, and overall mobility.
“The Madonna system is amazing, and we witnessed their top-notch program while we were there. They have a great team that always communicates well and were all working together towards my recovery,” said Ryan.
Not surprisingly, Ryan was a rock star patient at Madonna and received their “Spirit of Madonna Award” before he left. He will cherish the award covered in handwritten messages from everyone who worked with him. His therapists said they were inspired by his willingness to tackle each challenge he met with a smile.
Read what one of his Madonna therapists, Karen, wrote about Ryan’s rehab:
“From his evaluation on his first day at Madonna to his last day of inpatient rehab therapy, Ryan worked so hard. He progressed from walking 16 feet with two people significantly assisting him to walking in the hallways 1000+ feet and doing stairs independently with just a cane. He took every cue and tip I gave him during our therapy sessions and put them into practice outside of therapy.”
Ryan’s journey is not over by any means, but he has come such a long way. It’s the little things that keep him and Jenny motivated and encouraged. Currently, the right side of his body feels numb and just the other day, he started to have feeling in his toes.
Ryan’s therapist also commended Jenny for being such a “fantastic supporter and was by his side throughout the entire journey. She helped carry over the techniques and strategies we worked on in therapy so he could continue to improve his mobility.”
It’s been rough on their boys, who certainly missed their parents during the past months, but they are doing well, said Jenny. She is so appreciative of their family and friends who stepped up to fill the gaps during their absence. Until the end of January, he and Jenny will travel to Madonna three times a week to keep up his outpatient rehab work.
Just a week ago, Ryan and Jenny drove back to the Mayo Clinic for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Lanzino. “It was pretty emotional for both of us, but it was so good to shake Dr. Lanzino’s hand and hear him tell us everything looked stable and we didn’t need an MRI for another year,” said Ryan.
Regaining his stamina is part of the long healing process, but attempting some of your everyday life activities is also important. Just one week after returning home, Jenny took him to the December Heartland School Board meeting he serves on. “I wanted to be there for Gary Braun’s last meeting and just see if my brain could function at the level needed for one of these meetings,” said Ryan.
Ryan’s company has been very supportive, and he is on short-term disability but still takes calls from the office. He has plenty of time to think these days and is reflective about his experience.
“Very seldom do people get a second chance in life like I just received. I realize its significance, and I’m asking God why and listening a lot right now. I’m waiting. I’m waiting to understand what God has positioned me for.”
Like a character in a good story, Ryan has been on a long and challenging journey, and he has been changed. His story is inspiring, and he will find a way to share what he’s learned as he embarks on his second chance at life!
Ryan walked out of Madonna on December 3rd on his own after 6 weeks of rehab!
