HALLOCK, Minn. — A Kittson County Army veteran who was stuck at a rural health care center for two days due to the COVID-19 crisis has died.
Bob Cameron, 87, of Hallock, Minnesota, died just after 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13.
It was a day after he was transferred to Sanford in Fargo.
Cameron was rushed to Kittson Healthcare in Hallock Sunday morning, Oct. 10, for a gastrointestinal bleed. Normally, the 15-bed facility would transfer him right after stabilizing him. However, every hospital in North Dakota and Minnesota was full. Doctors in both states blame that on people who are unvaccinated taking all of their beds.
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That forced the Minnesota State Patrol for two days to rush emergency blood supplies from Fargo to Hallock to keep Cameron alive.
"This is hell. He doesn't deserve this," Cameron's daughter, Julie Lindegard, said. "The doctors here don't deserve this."
Cameron's family says he was stable when he was transferred but "all hell broke loose," once he got to Fargo. He couldn't have a colonoscopy due to too much bleeding.
The grandfather underwent emergency surgery to remove his colon, but it didn't stop the bleeding.
Cameron's family said getting him to the hospital two days earlier would have helped save his life.
Cameron also came down with COVID-19, despite getting his booster shot, so he was without his family when he died.
His daughter said a nurse named Megan held his hand and told him it's OK to go.
