Ryan Keen

Note: This testimonial may include a potentially graphic medical image.

Ryan and Tandi Keen run a cattle farm and ranch in northeastern Colorado and enjoy the simple life living off the land with their two sons. When a routine chore caused an explosion in Ryan’s face, his rural hospital knew that to save his life, they needed to rush him to Swedish Medical Center’s Level 1 Trauma Center and Burn and Reconstructive Center.

Tandi Keen said it all started with a sound she’ll never forget, “My son and I were in the house. We heard a big explosion and then we heard the screaming. He ran into the house and was saying, “I don't know what happened.“

Ryan had been getting their yard ready for a Father’s Day barbeque when he decided he had mowed past a pile of dead trees one too many times. He planned to burn it like he had done dozens, if not hundreds of times before on their property. But this time, for reasons he still can’t explain, it went horribly wrong in an instant, causing severe burns on his arms, face and down his airway. “With just the smell and everything, I knew he was not good. But he was still talking, he was still with it,” Tandi said.

In a state of shock, Ryan tried to cool himself off in the shower but it wasn’t enough. Once Tandi helped him into the back of their car, their 18-year-old hit the gas toward Sterling. Ryan said, “My kid was doing about a hundred with the hazards on. I remember about three miles outside of town, the sheriff was coming the other way and didn't even turn around. He knew something was wrong. I told my boy, “If he fires up his lights, don’t you stop until we get to the hospital.”

Right away, the E.R. staff at Sterling Regional Medical Center recognized Ryan’s airway was swelling shut. They had minutes to intubate and once they saw the full scope of his injuries, Tandi says the decision to transfer him to Swedish Medical Center was almost immediate, “The E.R. doctor said they had to call Air Life to get him out of there because there was no way they were capable of handling a patient like him. She said Swedish is the best burn center and I was like, “Do it, get him where he needs to be.”

Dr. Benson Pulikkottil, medical director of Swedish’s Burn and Reconstructive Center, explains what happened next, “We did what’s called a burn activation because of the severity of Ryan’s injuries. The whole gamut of clinicians descended into the E.R. to evaluate him. They made sure he had a good airway and stabilized him for the first 24 hours in the ICU.”

The next day, a team led by Dr. Pulikkottil examined and cut away Ryan’s burns, covering the areas with cadaver skin they would later replace with final grafts from Ryan’s leg. He remained unconscious for several more days and Tandi found exceptional comfort not only in how she saw the nurses and other staff taking care of her husband, but her as well, “He was barely recognizable at that point and I just lost it. I sat on his little couch and was bawling my eyes out. Two of the nurses came and sat with me and just were so good to me.”

Slowly, Ryan did get better and the burn team quickly learned he’s one tough customer. Tandi said, “When he first came off life support, his very first word was the F-bomb. A long, quiet, raspy F-bomb. And the nurse was like, “Did he just say that?” And I'm like, “Yep.” And she's like, “I always listen to people's first words and that's a good one.”

Ryan faced plenty of setbacks in his recovery: eating was too painful, he couldn’t sleep and he was too weak to stand the first time he tried walking. But his determination to get better and get home impressed even his doctors and nurses, “I didn't want to leave this earth. I knew I had to get strong for my family, and I ain’t done here. Thankfully, the Good Lord gave me a second chance, and I'm going to take advantage of it.” Dr. Pulikkottil said Ryan’s attitude played a huge role in his recovery, “He’s a special guy because not every patient is ready to have that mindset. A lot of people want to take time off or when they go through something like this, they can never get back to work. But Ryan, the second he woke up, he wanted to get back to the ranch.”

At first, Ryan was taking two steps at a time, then four and then he aimed higher: if he could make it to the hallway, he knew he could get strong enough to eventually get out of the burn center. One foot in front of the other, that’s exactly what he did.

Ryan said he’ll always be grateful for the expertise, patience and tenderness the care teams showed him and Tandi, “I love ‘em, every one of them, appreciate what they did. You always hear the worst cases go to Swedish, which means they’re probably the best at it. And I’m here to tell you they are.”

Learn more about the expert care teams that make a difference in our Level 1 Trauma Center and Burn and Reconstructive Center.