October 8, 2024
It started with a bad feeling
In August 2023, John Lynn collapsed at work. For the next year, he fought for his life with the support of his Kaiser Permanente care teams.
Over the course of one year, Lynn was hospitalized 7 times.
It started out with a bad feeling. John Lynn, 63, had felt this abdominal pain before. Still, he toughed it out and went to work. But his condition worsened until he developed a cough that made it difficult to breathe. And then he collapsed.
"I don’t really remember the ambulance ride — I just remember telling the EMTs that I couldn’t breathe,” said Lynn. “And that’s the last thing I remember until I woke up a month later.”
‘They never once told me I wasn’t going to make it’
Lynn’s medical situation was critical. He was admitted to Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center in San Diego, California, with severe breathing problems, multiple organ failure, sepsis, and necrotizing pancreatitis, which caused parts of his pancreas to die.
Over the next 78 days, multiple care teams worked tirelessly to save Lynn. He continued to experience severe medical complications: systemic inflammation, a blood clot, and multiple counts of sepsis.
Lynn finally regained consciousness about 30 days after his collapse at work. He was in the fight of his life, and the situation felt dire. While he was feeling vulnerable, Lynn’s care team never let him lose hope.
“They all pursued the best for me,” said Lynn. “They never once told me I wasn’t going to make it. I finally asked a doctor if this was going to be a long-term thing, and they said that they’d continue to work with me and really boosted me back up when I was feeling depressed.”
Just one of the guys
Throughout the entire ordeal, Lynn’s wife, Becky Lynn, and their children were by Lynn’s side. Becky Lynn, who helped her parents through their time in hospice, noted how times have changed since then. She and her children were involved every step of the way. The care teams never shuffled them out of the room, even when Lynn experienced medical emergencies.
Together, the family watched countless doctors, nurses, lift team members, physical therapists, nutritionists, dieticians, social workers, occupational therapists, and housekeeping service members provide exceptional care to Lynn. Becky Lynn called a lift team member, Jonathan Garcia, one of the “highlights of their time” with Kaiser Permanente. She was particularly touched by how he — and everyone else — interacted with Lynn while he was unconscious.
"He treated John like he was one of the guys," said Becky Lynn. “Jonathan would walk in and say, ‘Hey bud’ before John even woke up. Everyone treated John like a friend, even though they hadn’t even seen him conscious”
Just over a year after his collapse, John Lynn (pictured with his wife, Becky Lynn) is thriving thanks to the team at Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center.
A second chance at life
Lynn survived a year filled with hospitalizations and doctor’s appointments. Today, he has made significant lifestyle changes with the support of kind and honest Kaiser Permanente care team members.
“My eating habits were terrible, and I’d been drinking all my life,” said Lynn. “Dr. Joy Ye, who was the sweetest lady, told me: ‘John, do not drink anymore. It’ll kill you.’ And I haven’t had a drink since August 14, 2023.”
On the anniversary of John’s first hospitalization, he and his wife returned to Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center. They saw care team members who had become like family and had the opportunity to express their gratitude. Thanks to them, Lynn is thriving and enjoying his second chance at life.
Learn more about the high-quality, award-winning at Kaiser Permanente.
