Dedicated to my Bonus Dad, the strongest man I know, Peter William Beans and to my dear Mother, the strongest woman in my life, Janice Elaine Beans.
– Krystal Mathews
Based on a true story that miracles really do happen, as long as you believe and never give up hope.
As we all know, Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love with the souls you love the most. The morning of Friday, February 14, 2020 was just that. A beautiful morning in Arizona where the sun was shining on the mountains, hugs and kisses were exchanged, serving as a reminder of just how blessed we truly are. Surrounded by the winter beauty with a high of 75 degrees in the forecast, we had all intentions to celebrate another glorious day of life and our blessings. However, little did I know, this would be the day my biggest fear became my reality and our world turned upside down in a matter of seconds.
I was traveling home from Washington, D.C. where I had a work meeting for the week, and couldn’t wait to get home to squeeze my babies. I left D.C. at 7am Eastern time and landed at 9:45am Mountain time. I picked up a few gifts from the gift shops in D.C. for my loves. I texted my husband that morning at 4:14am Mountain time wishing my loves a Happy Valentine’s Day and that I was headed home to them. Told them I loved them with all my heart and would see them all very soon.
My bonus dad and mom, PB&J (Peter Beans and Janice) woke that morning and had their annual Valentine’s Day celebration, which was really no different from any other day, to be honest. Another day filled with love, cards, flowers, and dove dark chocolates. This was their beautiful norm. The love PB&J share is very deep and so genuine. Their love radiates into the world, and as my mother always said, “There is no J without PB. They are perfectly imperfect together, “Two peas in a pod”, as Beans says. People talk about the aura that surrounds them, and anyone that has crossed their path feels this beautiful feeling.
Due to me being on work travel, my husband Josh, coordinated with my mom to take our children to school on Thursday of that week, so he could go into work at his normal time. She texted him saying she was able to take the kids to school on Friday also, if he needed her to. So, that was the plan. Normally when my mom, GJ (Grandma Janice) takes the kids to school, GranPa Pete / Beans comes too, because he usually drives the “school bus” – our van. Driving the bus is very fun for GJ and Beans as they sing songs with the kids and talk about the upcoming day.
That morning, PB & J had roofers coming to their house at 8:30am for simple repairs. Beans was not going to join the bus this am as he was going to stay home and wait for the roofers to arrive. After some discussion, mom and Beans decided he would join them after he finished making mom’s lunch, as he does every day by the way, and then would join her at our home to get the kids ready for school. He decided he wanted to see the kids off to school and would be home in time for the roofers. “Pete” as Kingsley says, was getting him dressed for school in the living room and had time for a few giggles, before they were off.
They all headed out to the van in the garage. Our daughters Liberty and Lucky were helping Kingsley get buckled into his car seat, when they heard GJ screaming HELP. The kids witnessed GranPa Beans fall to the ground. Mom was standing right next to him and tried to break his fall to the cement as he landed and fell into a bunch of boxes that we had on the inside of the garage.
My powerhouse mother came to his rescue. His body was limp and lifeless. Their life together flashed before her eyes, realizing the man she had fallen in love with 14 years ago, was turning blue and had no pulse. She was in fight-or-flight mode at this time, and says “God intervened in that very moment.” She knew he was in major trouble and grabbed her phone from her purse and dialed 911. She grabbed Peter, a 225 lb. man, by the waist of his blue jeans, with all her might and unfolded his body to see him vomiting, turning blue and gray. His head was wedged under the van, but time was not on their side. My mom, nurse of 37 years, immediately initiated CPR for approximately 6 minutes and according to our daughters, was screaming, “Stay with me Beans. Don’t you give up on me now!”
During this time, the children knew Beans’ life was on the line. Kingsley, just two years old kept repeating, “Pete fall. Where is Pete?” They were terrified to say the least. Lucky, our brave just turned 7-year-old daughter got out of the van and ran into her room and grabbed her iPad. She phoned her dad on FaceTime. Josh answered and instantly knew something was wrong. According to Josh, she said Beans is not breathing and GJ is working on him. All Josh could hear was mom screaming and knew something horrific was happening. Josh told the girls to get Kingsley out of the van and go inside to their bedroom and that he would be home in a few minutes. Mom continued giving CPR for approximately 6 minutes, which felt like a lifetime to her. A bicyclist also named Peter, happened to riding by on his bike during this time, stopped and asked how he could help. She asked if he knew how to do CPR and he didn’t. So he just stayed by her side for moral support until help arrived. She continued to administer CPR until the paramedics arrived. Upon the arrival of the fire department, they pulled Beans from the garage to the driveway, where they cut off all his clothes, took over CPR, shocked him twice, and pumped him up full of all kinds of medicine to include atropine, epinephrine, and lidocaine.
Beans was experiencing no heart pain or any symptoms leading up to the moment when his heart decided to stop. He had routinely seen doctors to include his cardiologist, just to tell him that he is a healthy, very active 66 year old. During this time, a Grandmother of a neighbor stopped here and came inside without hesitation to help with the children until Josh arrived. A woman bystander kept praying all day that the man she witnessed getting CPR, would somehow come out of all of this. The paramedics got Beans into the ambulance and continued working to revive his sweetest heart on the way to Chandler Regional Medical Hospital.
Upon arrival at the hospital, mom threw her keys to some random citizen and asked him to valet her car. This gentleman saw the fear and panic in her and took her keys to valet without question. My sisters, Nicki and Dani (daughters of Beans) arrived at the same time as my mom, and they were escorted to the “cry room” in the hospital and they knew exactly what that meant. They fell to their knees, crying, and terrified that they were about to lose their beloved Husband and Father. Dr. Karen Garby, a best friend of my mother, had made her way to my mom’s side. They had shocked Beans a total of 6 times at this point, trying to get his heart to beat again. By now he was down for 49 minutes, when the door suddenly opened to the room they were sequestered, and a physician told them “We have a pulse”! They initially thought he had suffered myocardial infarction and quickly got him prepped and ready for a heart catheterization to see if he suffered a heart attack. The girls were all able to kiss him before he went back and tell him how much he is loved, although he laid their completely unconscious on life support, cold and stiff, not alert to what was happening. Their hearts were completely shattered to pieces, not knowing if he was going to make it through this.
During all of this, my plane was in route back home to Phoenix. I landed to the worst news of my life, which has been my biggest fear when traveling away from my family for work these past 10 years. My phone wouldn’t stop alerting me that I had a number of text messages, voicemails, emails, and FB messages that my bonus dad had a medical emergency and I needed to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. MY GOD. I had a full blown panic attack. My heart was racing in panic and fear that I was about to lose my bonus dad, and I was the only one not there because I was traveling for work! I was terrified and shaking uncontrollably. We had to sit on the tarmac for close to an hour because our flight landed an hour early and there wasn’t a gate available. It was the longest and most fearful hour of my life and all I could do was cry and want to hold my mom. I felt numb and just wanted to get to the hospital, hug my mom, and be there with my family as they were trying to figure out what the hell was going on and why. Our beautiful life with Beans just kept flashing before my eyes and the thought that it could all be over, made me panic even more. Life is so very precious and can be changed in an instance.
My husband sat in the cell phone lot at the airport, waiting for me to deplane and get my luggage, so he could get me to the hospital. The kids had a half day that day too and my youngest baby girl had a “Galentine’s Birthday” to celebrate her 7th birthday with her girlfriends planned that afternoon. I was texting the people in my closest circle for their prayers, love, and support. My best friend Crystal, without hesitation, helped with the kids and allowed for the “Galentine’s” celebration to go on. We wanted to try to keep things as normal as possible for them, as they had just experienced such a traumatizing scene earlier that morning. Not to say that was easy for them, but life went on with hearts heavy and full of worry.
I finally arrived to the hospital, to see my family in the waiting room with heavy hearts and tears, still waiting to hear something from the doctors. I grabbed my mom and hugged her so tightly. They had learned that Beans had no blockages to his heart and everything looked perfectly clear in his arteries. So, now what?! They continued running tests on him to include CT of the brain and chest to see if he had suffered a pulmonary embolism to the lung or an aneurysm. Everything was clear. At this point, he was on the ventilator, many life support drugs, fighting for his life, completely unconscious. They kept him sedated and immediately began therapeutic hypothermia to preserve his organs, if he were to make it out of this. This is something newer to the medical field that my mom is not familiar with, but the medical team recommended to start the process in hopes that this would reverse or lessen any damage done to any of his organs, especially his brain, during the cardiac arrest state. This is a 24 hour process, in which they dropped his temperature to 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
My heart was in pieces as I watched my mother pray over my bonus dad’s forehead, while he lay there hooked up to tubes, so many machines and medicines, as well as a ventilator that was breathing for him, keeping him alive. The “what if” fears kept creeping into my mind – “what if” my family has to face the decision to take him off the ventilator? “What if” his heart and organs are functioning well, but his brain is not? “What if” his lungs are too damaged and he needs a lung transplant? Fear and worry were completely taking over. My mother took his wedding ring off because he was starting to swell, retaining a lot of fluid – up to 13 liters at one point to be exact. So she used some lubricant, got it off and immediately put it under her wedding band on her finger. And, there it stayed. My heart was just in pieces watching all of this go down.
Us kids all came together and rotated our visits and overnight hospital stays, making sure someone was always there with mom too. GJ being the rock of strength in our family, it was obvious she needed all the love and support she could get during this time. One thing she never gave up on was her Faith. We are firm believers in the Power of Prayer. We had special prayer requests all across the country. It was pretty remarkable and so powerful. We continued to lean on our Faith with the hopes that we would experience a miracle and Beans would wake up, be able to walk and talk, as well as recognize us.
The neurologist performed an EEG on Peter’s brain to measure brain activity, which he didn’t really expect to see much of anything with the amount of medicine and sedation he was on. However, he reported back how optimistic it was looking as he saw brain activity patterns. More positive news! We thrived on that, even though the neurologist informed us that we wouldn’t know the level of brain damage from the lack of oxygen during those 49 minutes, until he is stable enough to do a brain MRI.
After 24 hours of cooling, it was time for rewarming, which is a long 12-18-hour process. We patiently waited for his body temperature to rise back to normal, which happened on Sunday, February 16, 2020. The nurses then began to wean him off the sedation.
Just as the sun was rising on Monday, February 17, 2020, my mom, Nicki, Dani, our brother Kyle and I were all at the bedside.
The rays of the sun were on the side of Beans face when he opened his eyes for a second, then closed them. Again, another positive moment that nearly took us all to our knees. Every single time J said, “Beans,” he opened his eyes and it was a beautiful green-eyed sight! We continued to see more progress, as the minutes, hours, and days went by. Peter was responding to commands. He was giving two thumbs up and wiggling his toes. It was such a relief because we knew he was in there, although he was still very disoriented. We were taking it one minute at a time. The respiratory therapists continued to monitor Peter’s lungs and blood gas oxygenation levels. The hope was that the numbers would continue to improve, so he could begin breathing trials to breathe on his own with the endotracheal tube in. He was showing progress in his blood gas oxygenation numbers, so they continued to slowly reduce the ventilator oxygen flow which made him have to work harder to breathe on his own.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 marked another medical milestone and Beans passed his breathing tests. He had to be able to breath on his on with the tube still in. This time, he did 3.5 hours straight, so he was extubated that morning around 11:11am. Still a bit disoriented, the tube came out and he was much more comfortable. Voice raspy, could hardly say a word but he tried his damndest. Mom asked Beans, “Is there something you want to tell me?” Beans shook his head, yes and said, “I love you!” Again, more sobbing and celebration in our hearts!!!!!
The breathing treatments were consistent, keeping the airways open allowing oxygen to flow more easily, for he was also battling aspiration pneumonia. This happens when a person swallows their own vomit during CPR. Following lunch time on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, the respiratory therapist came in to give Peter a breathing treatment. During the breathing treatment, the hose went flying off across the room and everyone busted a gut! Beans said, “What the ****?!” We lived for those funny ass moments.
Although we were making progress, there were still many concerns. Beans was very uncomfortable, in pain, and hardly resting. It’s no wonder he’s in pain. The man has 12 total broken ribs, 6 on each side, along with a broken sternum from when mom had to give CPR. And, she has now been nicknamed Sledgehammer. Did you know that effective CPR results in broken ribs and sometimes a broken sternum? All of the medical staff and doctors continue to give her praise because of her CPR skills, that SAVED PETER BEANS’ LIFE. Crazy wild fact – my mother, a nurse of 37 years has NEVER administrated CPR on anyone other than a mannequin during practice, and she had to do it to save her own husband. She has always been the one to direct care and give medications, but not perform the CPR. Simply amazing.
So, when the nurse asked Peter where his pain was, he kept saying his stomach. He had also been suffering a massive stomach ache and diarrhea. The stomach pain kept him awake for over 30 hours straight. Mom began to worry something was up in the gut. She demanded he be tested for c-diff. He was on three very powerful antibiotics to treat a pneumonia and sepsis, from aspirating into the lungs, which can tear the stomach up. Praise God, the c-diff test came back negative. In addition, the doctors discussed possible kidney dialysis with my mom as it appeared as though his kidneys may have taken a hit from all the powerful antibiotics.
That evening, my husband stayed with Beans for a few hours, while mom tried to get some sleep on the couch that was 4 feet away. They were watching some TV and it said on the bottom of the screen, “Do you believe in miracles?” Beans said, “Yes, I sure do!” Our family is truly experiencing a miracle. No pulse for 49 minutes, forty-nine minutes – means no oxygen to the brain, except what got there during CPR, which is why it is so important to initiate it immediately. All the nurses and doctors that have helped provide medical care and that know of Peter Beans’ case, have shared in our pure JOY in his recovery. Less than 8% of people who suffer cardiac arrest, survive with minimal damage. Beans is a survivor falling in that 8% category. Did you know, that if CPR is performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, it can double or triple a person’s chance of survival? Mom was taking no chances of losing the love of her life.
Sister Nicki called Josh the night of Wednesday, February 19, 2020. He was leaving the hospital around 11 PM when she called. She called to tell Josh just how much Beans loves him and how beautiful their bond is. Josh and Beans share a very special relationship, one he will forever cherish. So, while driving home from the hospital and talking to her in this moment, Josh saw a shooting star! Another beautiful and powerful moment to realize how grateful we are to be experiencing this miracle of 2020.
Beans was considered stable at this point, so the physical therapists were getting him up out of the bed and into the chair. Next up was walking with a walker. Well, I am proud to share that Beans took his first steps with the walker on February 20, 2020, 6 days after he suffered cardiac arrest.
This date is SPECIAL – I mean LOOK AT IT and you tell me, 02-20-2020. 6 days later and he was a walking miracle in the halls of Chandler Regional Medical Hospital. Are you FREAKING kidding me?! Dad Beans – you are the strongest man we know! February 20, 2020 was also “Moving Day” – when Peter moved out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), room #307 to the Telemetry Unit, room #428 where constant monitoring and care would continue. Sister Dani helped mom pack all of the things in the room and threw them into big garbage bags. Dani swung the fully packed trash bags over her shoulder and Dad Beans cracked up! He said, “There goes Ms. Claus!”
Nicki and Dani went to buy a bunch of dry erase markers because we were told we could write messages and draw pictures on his new bathroom door. We all had fun decorating it, including the kids.
After being moved to the Telemetry Unit, Beans was finally stable enough to get an MRI of his brain. In meeting with the neurologist, he confirmed Beans had a stroke of his left brain during the time he was without a pulse, due to the lack of oxygen to the brain during cardiac arrest. The left brain controls the right side of the body. This describes the weakness in Peter’s right arm and leg strength, and the difficulty speaking and swallowing. Now knowing this, the medical team was able to be more specific in the type of care and support Beans would need in the coming weeks and months. He had to partake in a very intense memory testing, which also confirmed areas of the brain that were affected from the stroke. When the memory therapist asked Peter to write a sentence, he wrote – “I love my wife.” Just another beautiful moment.
By the GRACE of GOD, Beans was awake, talking, and laughing! He was cracking jokes and our humor page in mom’s journal continued to grow by the second. We were living it up and enjoying every belly laugh moment we had together, because as they say, “Laughter is the best medicine.” I have no doubt about that. One thing we do know for sure is Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power!
On Friday, February 21, 2020 at 7:50am, exactly 1 week later – was a very emotional morning to say the least. Not only was it difficult not to replay the terrifying events from a week ago, but Beans became very lucid and began asking more questions about the incident. Mom answered all his questions and explained everything to him. She would repeat over and over, there are NO secrets.
J saved PB’s life and without the strength of our Heavenly Father Almighty, the outcome would have been very different. Instead of writing this miracle story, I could be writing a Eulogy. Our lives are forever changed based on this one incident that happened in a blink of an eye. We know that Peter Beans had Guardian Angels with him that Valentine’s Day morning and all throughout his hospital stay.
At this moment, we are still unsure of exactly what caused all of this in the first place. The doctors said it was most likely a lethal arrhythmia of his heart, which causes sudden cardiac death. On February 21, 2020, Beans finally had an MRI of his heart. The results were finally in and the diagnosis was clearer. Peter was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM is a condition in which your heart muscle, or myocardium, becomes thicker than normal. This interferes with your heart’s ability to pump blood. HCM occurs in about one in every 500 people in the United States. HCM is typically an inherited condition. You have a 50% chance of inheriting one of these genes if one of your parents is affected by HCM.
PB&J watched another beautiful sunrise together counting all their blessings. This is very common for them as they rarely miss an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful sunrise or sunset together.
This weekend marked a special family moment, as all the grandchildren visited GranPa Pete / Beans for the first time since he’s been in the hospital. Grandchildren: Jacob, Nathan, Liberty, Lucky, Halle, Kingsley, and Quinn. This was one of the most beautiful Sunday fun-days our family has ever had together. It was not your typical Sunday fun-day going to church and then hanging poolside. It was better than that. Our children got to see GranPa Pete / Beans for the first time since they saw him lying lifeless on our garage floor. They shared so many prayers in between the days, but to see them talking and laughing together was simply amazing. I was terrified this day would never come again and my baby boy lost his best friend, “Pete.” It was another emotional moment just watching the girls tell Beans how much they love him. Lucky girl, just 7 years young said to Beans, “Thank you for not giving up.” She heard GJ screaming those exact words while Beans was down and they stuck with her.
You have to go through it, the good and the bad times, because it makes you realize how blessed you really are.
Monday, February 24, 2020, was another blessed day to be alive, but very emotional. PB&J opened the Bible and read Mark Chapter 11:22-24 – “Have Faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Not too long after reading the Bible, an unexpected visitor walked in. Pastor Chris from our church, Mountain View Lutheran. He prayed with them at Peter’s bedside. It was truly a God moment.
Finally, the day has come! On Tuesday, February 25, 2020, Peter had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placed inside his chest. It is a small device that tracks your heartbeat and abnormal heart rhythms, to avoid sudden cardiac death should this ever happen again. The procedure went well and he has to be in a left arm sling for 6 weeks while it heals into place. This makes things difficult for Beans because his right side of the body is affected from the stroke, but we are optimistic that this will also force him to get stronger on that side.
On Wednesday, February 26, 2020, Peter had another unexpected visitor – Doctor Paul. He was the first physician on site to receive Beans from the ambulance. Doctor Paul spoke with Mom, Nicki, and Dani in the ER and took them back to kiss him before he went into have a heart catheterization done. He was very emotional seeing Peter doing so well and to have survived all of this. In doc’s own words, “This is fuc*ing incredible. Just amazing.”
Beans was finally discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, February 27, 2020 – 12 days later! He was transported by ambulance to his next stop before coming home, the rehabilitation facility, room #218. He will undergo massive physical therapy to get stronger, as well as speech and memory therapy. Given everything that this man has gone through, his spirits remain high and he cannot wait to come home!
Two weeks later, we were blessed to be celebrating Josh’s 35th birthday with Beans and family at the rehabilitation facility on Friday, February 28, 2020. We laughed, we cried, we prayed, and we held each other tight. It was a moment that will be treasured in our hearts forever.
Exactly 20 days later, our Miracle Man of 2020 – Peter William Beans was discharged from the rehabilitation facility to go HOME SWEET HOME and walked out of there on his own with J by his side!
Talk about a MIRACLE STORY. A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles. Our family is overwhelmed with so much JOY and GRATITUDE to be experiencing this miracle.
So many “what if” moments continue to process through our heads, but this one would have changed it all – “what if” I hadn’t traveled to D.C.? The morning routine would have been so different. My mom wouldn’t have taken my children to school and would have most likely been at work, which means Beans would have been home alone or possibly driving to get his hair cut by Nicki. One thing I know for sure, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this beautiful miracle story. God intervened in so many ways during the days leading up to this morning and we are forever thankful to Him. The power of this unexpected miracle has given our family the opportunity to live life in a new light. A light so powerful that has forever changed our way of thinking, doing, and acting. We have always given thanks and shared gratitude for our blessings, however we now sincerely know the true fragility of it all and it can be taken from us in a matter of minutes.
We want to express our sincerest gratitude to every prayer warrior who has prayed and continues to pray for Peter William Beans. Your prayers for healing and strength made such a positive impact on this outcome – BEANS STRONG! We appreciate all the love and support during the most terrifying time of our life. God Bless All of YOU!
Our God is greater. Our God is stronger. Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power! God, you are higher than any other. Thank you to our Heavenly Father, for giving our beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, and Friend – Peter William Beans, a second chance at life! You are the Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness – My God, that is who you are and we will continue to worship you!
We will love you forever, Beans! You are the Miracle Man of our family.
The morning of March 15, 2020 was emotional for our family as we visited the first response team at Phoenix Fire Station. They are the team that came to our home on Valentine’s Day and worked on Beans in the driveway. They were all in awe as he stood before them. They don’t often get a chance to see someone that survived what Peter went through.
They recently inquired with the hospital to see if they could get information on how he was, or if he even made it. Today, was not only a big day for our family to thank them, but a big day for them to experience the outcome of a job well done. There were many tears of joy and even with Coronavirus looming over the nation – there were hugs too!
If you get an opportunity to thank a first responder, be sure to do so – because you never know if it’s going to be your life they will save next.
If you’re having a rough day, place your hand over your heart. Feel that? That’s called purpose. You’re ALIVE for a reason! Let the miracle story of Peter Beans serve as a reminder to never EVER give up or lose hope and to live every day as if it was your last.
Hello Dear Blog Readers,
Your comments will be appreciated!!
What a miracle! Beautifully written blog and great pictures of the entire family. The support that the family gave your dad and the timely help provided by your Mom are to be remembered forever!!