Our Saving Grace
Her beacon lights our way and leads us on the path to righteousness.
When I first heard Grace's story, as a nurse, it just broke me. She lost her life at the hands of this broken system, its deadly protocols, and the complete medical mismanagement of covid-19. What her family has had to endure is unimaginable. This never should have happened.
I was invited to speak at Grace's Memorial Rally on April 8th in Appleton, WI and it was my absolute honor to do so. On the night before this special day to honor Grace, I had the opportunity to have dinner with the Schara family. This was truly a special time. We gathered with others who had traveled from all across the country, all with one singular purpose; to honor the life, and what we all now recognize to be an incredible legacy that has been left behind.
Before I take you through the unthinkable events that led up to this tragedy, I invite you to take a moment and get to know the amazing spirit that was, and that is, Grace Emily Schara.
Often times when people describe those with Down Syndrome, they tend to focus on their limitations. I didn’t know Grace, but in my efforts to learn more about her so that I would be able to tell her story, I found her to be fearless, talented, joyful, FUNNY, adventurous, spirited, fun-loving, caring, and so much more than her perceived disability.
You can learn more about Grace through this beautifully penned obituary.
Tragedy Unfolds…
I will highlight some of the details of Grace’s final days as they were told to me by Grace’s dad, Scott Schara.
In late September 2021, Grace started to show symptoms of Covid, and on 10/1, she had a positive PCR test. She had been doing fairly well, however on 10/6 she was brought in to a local urgent care because she was not able to maintain her oxygen levels above 90%. They completed bloodwork and then advised that she be brought in to the Emergency Department to be evaluated. During her 10 hour wait in the ER, vitals were stable, and her oxygen levels were in the mid to high 90’s on 2L of oxygen administered via nasal cannula. She had an elevated D-Dimer, and was sent for a CT scan which was negative. Grace was admitted to a room at St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Appleton, WI at midnight on October 7th. Grace was then curiously placed on a high-flow nasal cannula, despite the fact that according to her father, she was not in distress, and had been maintaining oxygen saturation levels around 95%. Although she was Covid positive, Grace was able to have an advocate at the bedside throughout her admission due to the Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines. Scott was with Grace until October 10th, when he was escorted out by an armed guard. It was her sister, Jess who then took on the role of advocate and who was at her side the last two days of her life.
I could never tell this story better than Grace’s family and they have done an amazing job of compiling the data and facts of this tragedy. Please visit their website for a complete overview of the events leading to Grace’s death and come to your own conclusion. I do however, want to point out some of the “Red Flags” that concerned me as a nurse.
By October 9th, Grace had been placed on a BiPap and the family was advised that she was not allowed breaks from it, not even to eat or drink. Grace was able to tolerate high flow nasal cannula, her sustained oxygen saturation levels were in the mid to upper 90’s, and she was in no acute distress; no other clinical rationale was given as to why she would not be able to take food and drink by mouth. The family was advised that a feeding tube was necessary for Grace to receive nutrition.
Many clinical decisions were being made based upon oxygen saturation levels, despite the fact that Grace’s adhesive O2 sensor, as reported by one of her nurses, wasn’t picking up well due to “sweaty leads.” Even after the nurse’s assessment that it was not working properly, adjustments were not made, nor was the sensor replaced. The family had placed their own oximeter on Grace’s finger several times and each time, her levels were normal.
Improper use of physical restraints. (Click on hyperlink for more information)
Grace was unvaccinated. This was referenced six times in doctor’s reports, despite it being completely irrelevant.
The fact that Grace was a Christian was referenced three times in doctor’s reports - Aside from the initial admission assessment, or circumstances in which religious beliefs would affect care provided, it has not been my experience to see this routinely referenced.
“Frontline Doctors” and “misinformation campaign” was referenced four times throughout doctor’s reports.
Low oxygen saturation referenced at least 19 times. The family believes this to be significant because of the multiple times they had used their own oxygen saturation meter confirming the hospital measurement was incorrect.
Unable to/likely will be difficult to prone referenced 7 times.
I still have a feeling that we may be limited in our ability to prone the patient unless of course, she becomes intubated and sedated.[From 10/9/21 doctor Leonard report.]
From all accounts, and from everything I have observed of Grace, she was very high functioning and would have likely been able to self-prone with minimal assistance. Grace’s father had asked nursing staff to work with him multiple times and the request fell on deaf ears. Grace only weighed 180 pounds. - In the ICU, we have proned patient’s three times Grace’s size! Proning has a significant patient benefit and wasn’t attempted until October 12th, Grace’s 6th day in the hospital!
“Not able to communicate with patient” referenced three times in doctor’s reports, despite no attempts being made by providers. Again, Grace was high functioning, as you will see for yourself in videos shared by her family. She had been communicating well until she was sedated on her last day.
Grace’s code status was changed to DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) without her family’s knowledge or consent.
Grace was put on a continuous Precedex infusion for FIVE days. (Precedex is not to be given continuously for >24 hours.) She was a calm person by nature, and the family reports only one episode of agitation on October 7th when she was changed from High-flow to BiPap. Aside from this isolated incident, she tolerated the BiPap well, and her vitals were stable. Why was she given a sedative in the first place?
Despite reportedly having difficulty maintaining her oxygen saturation levels above 90%, just before her death, Grace was administered a lethal combination of Morphine, multiple doses of Lorazepam, and Precedex over a very short time-span (<30minutes). Again, there was NO agitation. Her sister Jess was in the room with her the entire time, there was never any indication for these medications to be given. WHY were they??
DNR does NOT mean ‘Do Not Treat’!
This is by far what is the most disturbing to me. Grace was given this lethal combination of drugs that suppressed her respirations. She had a diagnosis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, yet she was given medications that further suppressed her respirations. Let that sink in. Now let’s focus on the part where Grace’s sister Jess, as she is noticing Grace’s numbers rapidly declining, begs and pleads for help from the nursing staff, who were positioned just outside of the room - One nurse told her:
“She is a DNR, there is nothing we can do.”
I’m sorry…WHAT?! DNR stands for “do not resuscitate.” Just to be clear, DNR does not mean “do not treat.” A DNR code status would indicate that the person would not want CPR performed and would be allowed to die naturally ONLY if their heart stops beating and/or they stop breathing. Neither of these were the case with Grace. We do EVERYTHING to reverse the situation, up until that point.
As Grace continued to decline, her parents watched in horror via facetime, they, along with her sister continued to scream and plead for help from nursing staff, clarifying that she was NOT a DNR and begging them to SAVE her. Not ONE nurse, out of MANY (it was shift change), not one of them even entered her room. Not one attempt was made to save the life of this beautiful 19 year old, otherwise healthy, young woman. WHY?! What is happening in our hospitals?? What is happening to our profession?!
Watch as Scott Schara describes Grace’s final moments in this Video for CHD TV:
Video: “My daughter was worth more dead than alive.”
As an ICU nurse who worked throughout the pandemic and was in many code situations, including ones where we have had a legal document stating the DNR status; times when the patient’s wishes were well known by nursing staff; even in cases where the patient was terminal with no chance for meaningful recovery - If the family comes in and says “DO EVERYTHING”, even when it is against our better judgment to do so, and even though it creates a moral conflict within us, we MUST do EVERYTHING. This is what makes Grace’s story beyond all comprehension to me. I cannot wrap my head around HOW or WHY this happened? Or is it that I just don’t want to SEE it. (Refer back to the post below for more on that theory…)
Nurses Have a Tendency to Compartmentalize..
On October 13, 2021, in a place that is meant to help the sick and the suffering, Grace Emily Schara took her last breath. Her family has been left with many questions, but no answers; only unimaginable pain, void of any understanding as to why this had to happen. Perhaps it will never be understood by any of us, because the sad truth is that it didn’t have to happen at all…or did it?
Fulfilling Our Purpose
When I founded Nurse Freedom Network in July of last year, I thought that my mission was pretty cut and dry - STOP THE MANDATES. Period. I was wrong. From the very beginning I felt compelled to speak out, something that is certainly not against my nature, but as time went on, more and more was being revealed to me; it became clear that I needed to back my words with action. I left bedside nursing when I began becoming uncomfortable with the hospital protocols, specifically the Remdesivir. This along with the hospital’s denial of life-saving medications to patients left me no choice but to walk away from my bedside career; one which I loved. I did so quietly and began working from home as a telephone triage nurse. We all have our proverbial line in the sand, or at least we should! These unconstitutional mandates, along with the unnecessary, experimental vaccination of our children represented that line for me. Although I had been exempted from the mandates, I made the choice to resign my position. In the absence of safety data, how could I recommend the vaccination of otherwise healthy children?! Not when I had already personally witnessed countless adverse events. The risks most certainly outweighed any potential benefit among a population with negligible risk from the virus. I may not have had the financial provisions to do this, but the alternative was unimaginable to me. I decided to walk by faith alone because I felt called to do so, but once again, I began to realize that this wasn’t my final destination on this journey.
In late March I was contacted by Kevin Tuttle about being a guest on The Robert Scott Bell Show. We spoke briefly over the phone, and I don’t even think we were ten minutes into that call before he invited me out to Appleton, WI to speak at Grace’s memorial rally. When he first asked, I initially thought, that’s awfully nice, but I don’t even have an income! I can’t just take off and go to Wisconsin. Except, that’s exactly what I did. He finished telling me this heartbreaking story, I hung up the phone, and immediately, I booked my flight. I felt led to do so, that is the only way I can explain it.
April 7th, I make my way to Appleton and that evening is when we all gathered. The Schara family shared their stories about Grace, but then they wanted to hear from each of the speakers that had flown in, some from clear across the country, what their “why” was. What brought each of us to this place, to this moment. What followed was life-changing for me. Story after story that I heard was from patients or from family members who had lost loved ones due to deadly hospital protocols, parents of children who were vaccine injured, and others who like me, had found themselves at a crossroads in their respective careers and felt similarly and inexplicably led to be there that evening.
I no longer believe in coincidences. Our paths all crossed for a reason; it is all by the divine intervention and design of the most intricate architect there ever was, or ever will be. We have all been perfectly positioned for such a time as this.
Throughout this horrific tragedy, the Schara family has remained steadfast in their faith. This same faith had been instilled in Grace throughout her life. It seemed as if she had unending love for Jesus, for her family, and for humanity.
Although her time on earth was all too brief, and she is greatly missed by loved ones left behind, I pray that her family finds comfort in knowing that Grace is in a place we all yearn for. She is safe in the arms of her Heavenly Father, and a joyous reunion awaits them.
For reasons we may never fully understand, some are called Home in order to fulfill their purpose. Some days more than others, we are reminded of how beautiful, how precious, and at times, how cruel life can be. These reminders are often times what lead us to change the trajectory of our entire lives. As tragic as Grace’s story is, it has moved people. I believe with all of my heart that I was led to Appleton, WI and that sharing and elevating not only Grace’s story, but the stories of each and every person I met along this journey, and the thousands upon thousands that have yet to be heard is MY purpose. As we continue to share these stories, how many lives will be saved moving forward? How much change might we bring as we shine light on to darkness?
Grace’s light shines on. That was the theme of her rally.
Perhaps that is the fulfillment of HER purpose. That light that shined so brightly here on earth is now the beacon that leads so many of us who have been called to our own purpose, perhaps even a collective one. It aids us in our ability to seek out and find the path of righteousness that for far too long has been cloaked in darkness. Shine on, our saving Grace. Continue to light our way.
For myself, from here on out, I plan to spend less time being petty, unforgiving, and unproductive.
I want to live a productive and purpose-driven life. I will pursue my dreams with passion.
I will be the best version of myself every day, I will give all the love I can to the ones I have been blessed to share this journey with.
I will NOT feed anger, resentment, and negativity, and I will not tolerate or surround myself with those who do.
I will count each moment a gift, I will count it all joy. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
-Kimberly Overton, BSN, RN
This is very similar to what our family experienced with our special needs son this past December at a St Paul, MN hospital. God allowed us to remove him from the hospital and bring him home despite the medical professionals telling us he would not survive the trip home. It was a rough few days but he survived and is doing well!