News

Local man attacked by bees

By Scott Wagar

08/12/2014

Sherwood Haakenson of Willow City almost lost his life on Aug. 1 when he was attacked by domestic honey bees which were part of a honey bee farm a mile and a half north of Barton along Highway 60. Luckily for Haakenson, he survived the incident, but the event took him to two hospitals, an Intensive Care Unit and being left sedated and incubated for a long period of time.
Haakenson was attacked by the bees while raking hay with a tractor without a cab.

“He knew they were there and he did not disturb them. He had made one pass beyond the hives, did a U-turn and passed them a second time, when he was hit from behind by the swarm,” said Cindie Haakenson, Sherwood’s wife who spoke on behalf of Sherwood because he lost his voice from being incubated for so long while being treated.

“He told me later that it initially felt like someone had dumped a bucket of water on the back of his head. It didn’t really register as painful for him but he knew he needed help as fast as he could get it.”

Haakenson believes he was stung hundreds of times, but it is impossible to know for certain because by the time he entered the Emergency Room in Rugby his face, arms and hands were so swollen that the medical personal couldn’t count stings or welts.
Haakenson was all alone when the bees attacked, but Cindie believes numerous miracles took place which saved her husband’s life.

“First, he called our son Todd and then our oldest grandson Brody, but their cell phones went to voice mail, which often happens in that area. He then called me on our land line and it was very fortunate that I was there to answer because I was just about to leave the house to drive the mile and a half to our mailbox. So that was miracle number one,” Cindie said.

“When he told me what had happened and that he needed help, I called Todd and he answered on the second ring, which was miracle number two.  He and Brody drove the pickup out to the field and rescued Sherwood,” she continued.

“At that point he was walking, alert and coherent. We knew he needed to get medical help but it didn’t seem to be a huge emergency. So Todd decided to let Brody, who is 18 years old and just graduated in May from Rugby High School, drive his grandpa to the emergency room at the Rugby Heart of America hospital where Sherwood has doctored for years.  

“I then called our daughter, Brekka Belisle, who works as a medical technician at the Rugby hospital. She was at home, just finishing her lunch break, and said she would hurry back and meet them when they arrived at the ER. I also started out for Rugby,” Cindie said. “As Sherwood and Brody approached the intersection of 60 and Third, Sherwood told him to speed up because he was having trouble breathing.

“Sherwood leaned forward and placed his face near the A/C vent to try to get more air. He passed out as they passed the Rugby Airport but Brody said he was concentrating more on driving safely at a high rate of speed than on what shape his grandpa was in,” Cindie explained.

“As they stopped at the door of the ER, Brekka was there with a wheel chair to bring him in, but when she saw the shape he was in she knew that he needed more help immediately, miracle number three,” she said.

“The ambulance and crew of Golden Heart paramedics was still parked at the entrance, restocking after bringing someone in with chest pain. She hollered for help and someone responded with two Epi-pens, which they administered before even moving him out of the pickup,” she stated.

Haakenson was in anaphylactic shock and was nearing death because his airway was so swollen he couldn’t breath.
It took over four tries before the medical team could get the smallest breathing tube into his trachea.

The medical team then administered sedatives to calm him down along with Benadryl and other pharmaceuticals to assist him.
The team also conducted a teleconference over the internet  with another hospital to treat his condition because Haakenson had complications with the anaphylactic shock which included diabetes and a heart condition.

The ER personal succeeded in getting Haakenson stable, but called for an air evac out of Trinity in Minot.

“At this point he was in critical condition and needed more care than the Rugby hospital could offer,” Cindie said.  

“At Minot, his care was turned over to a pulmonologist, or a lung specialist, because of his swollen airway. He was put on a respirator to regulate and assist his breathing as well as IV medications and was sedated as well,” she continued.
“On arrival at Trinity’s ER he was kept sedated and they were able to insert a larger breathing tube. He was moved to the Intensive Care Unit where he was monitored for breathing rate, blood pressure and heart rate. Sherwood was also administered drugs and was kept sedated until Sunday morning. At that time it was determined that he was able to breathe well enough on his own that they could risk removing the breathing apparatus.
“If they had removed it too soon, and he still needed help breathing, it would have been difficult if not impossible to re-insert the tube. They also closely monitored his blood pressure and blood sugar, which fluctuated wildly due to the steroids he was given to counteract the swelling and inflammation,” Cindie said.

“He was kept in the ICU an extra day for observation because of the possible complications due to his medical history. He was finally moved to a regular hospital room Monday afternoon when they needed his bed in the ICU for someone else and he was allowed to come home that evening after he proved that he could walk and get around safely,” she added.

Overall, Haakenson was so sick due to the bee stings that during his time at Trinity he spent all but four hours in ICU.

With the incident over, Haakenson said that he is touched in so many ways for all those who cared for him on that day.

“It was a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, after many years of working near honeybees with no problems whatsoever,” Cindie said. “Sherwood is beyond grateful that our 12-year-old grandson Blake was not the one doing the raking, which usually is what happens, because we were told by someone in the medical field that it might be Sherwood’s size that saved him. He’s over six- feet tall and weighs well over 200 pounds. A smaller person might have had a fatal reaction more quickly.  
“Sherwood also has the highest praise for our grandson Brody and the Rugby medical team that literally saved his life,” Cindie said.

“The paramedics, ER staff, and Bobbie Trana, the physician’s assistant who was on call at that time, they had a job to do and they did it very well. To sum it up in one word - thankful,” she stated.

Cindie added that if any individuals find themselves in the same place her husband did, they should call 911 immediately and try to meet the ambulance part-way if individuals can.

For Sherwood, he will now carry an Epi-pen with him just in case he gets stung again.

As for Cindie, one more miracle happened that day.

“This all happened on Friday, Aug. 1, which was the very first day that Sherwood qualified for Medicare. His 65th birthday was Aug. 5,” Cindie said.

“In fact, I arrived at the Rugby ER a little late because I turned around and went back home to get his Medicare and supplemental insurance cards because I knew it would be a major hassle to straighten out if our previous carrier received the bills, which we expect will be huge. Our insurance guy tells us the whole ordeal won’t cost us a penny.”