Ken Wienckowski

Ken Wienckowski, 58, lived independently with his wife and worked as an operations manager at Camping World. His busy lifestyle quickly changed when he began experiencing chest pains. He set up an appointment with his doctor and was later diagnosed with lung cancer.

Shortly after his diagnosis, Ken had a right lower lobectomy. He, unfortunately, experienced post-operative complications including respiratory failure and pneumothoraxes, requiring chest tubes. Because of these complications, he needed to be on a ventilator for several months. His physicians explained to Ken and his family that he had a long recovery ahead of him. Knowing his stubbornness and will to fight, his family decided to continue his care at Vibra Hospital of Fargo.

Upon admission to Vibra, Ken needed maximum assistance to sit on the edge of the bed, used a Hoyer lift for transfers, and had minimal use of his arms and legs. His condition made him dependent for all self-care activities, including eating. During his stay at Vibra, Ken briefly discharged to the ICU twice due to complications. Despite these setbacks, he continued to work hard on his recovery. Among the exercises that he completed was practicing housekeeping tasks like making his bed.

After a total of five months in the hospital and 51 days at Vibra, Ken discharged home to be with his wife again. He is independent with all self-care activities, can walk 450 feet, complete 12 steps, and is eating a regular diet. He only requires one liter of oxygen when walking.

When asked about his stay Ken said, “Vibra has been great. The nurses and therapists have been extremely helpful. I have done a lot of training in customer service in my line of work. I have learned and seen some things at Vibra that I really like regarding customer service that I am going to take with me to Camping World.”

Ken is now cancer-free and no longer requires radiation or chemo. He is most excited to be home with his wife again and see their dog. He looks forward to returning to work soon.