Sherri Collins, 68, was in a coma for 9 ½ days following a heatstroke and a heart attack.

CareOregon RN Connie Burroughs (right) visits Sherri Collins in her home in Canby.

Record high temperatures affected most of Oregon last summer, and Sherri’s airconditioner broke down at the worst possible time. Her nephew, James Webber, found her unconscious in her living room. According to medics, her body temperature reached a life-threatening 107 degrees; the temperature inside her home was approximately 120 degrees.

Sherri considers it a miracle that she survived the ordeal. “I lost 50 pounds while I was in the hospital,” said Sherri. She was cared for in a nursing facility close to her home for a few weeks before she went home.

“My sister and nephew were with me at all times,” she said. Sherri is grateful for her family’s support: her nephew bought a new airconditioner for her trailer home.

Even before suffering the stroke, Sherri – who lives alone in a trailer park with a predominantly senior population – has had her share of health problems. She has a history of heart and lung conditions, and uses a mobility electric scooter to get around. “The doctor said I have 25 percent of my heart left, but I can build it back up as long as I do what I’m supposed to do,” she said. 

For Sherri, that means keeping her stress level low and keeping hydrated. A longtime smoker, and attempting to reduce smoking.

CareOregon staff members actively work with Sherri to ensure that she gets the supports she needs, says Connie Burroughs, RN. Staff helped Sherri sign up for a senior meals-on-wheels program that delivers hot food to her door once a day. Sherri also now has a caregiver that spends a few hours each day to help her with basic tasks, such as getting in and out of her lift chair.

Sherri was in her lift chair throughout the interview: she couldn’t stand without assistance, much less walk. When she returned from her stay at the nursing facility, she found that her mobility scooter had been damaged. “Somebody had too much fun with it,” she says. “My nephew put padlocks on all my doors. Now, I’m just waiting for the repair people to come and fix it.”