Reason for Admission: Fall with multiple injuries including fractures and brain injury; Workers’ compensation
Discharge Location: Home
Hospital: PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fargo
Chris Kallhoff’s Road to Recovery: A Story of Strength and Family
Chris and Mandie Kallhoff had just returned from a trip to Mexico to celebrate Chris’s 40th birthday. While they had a wonderful time, they were both eager to return home to their three children, dog, and extended family. Both were also fortunate to have jobs they enjoyed and were settling back in the post-vacation groove when life took an unexpected turn.
For 19 years, Chris has been a foreman for a concrete company and has built great working relationships with many builders and contractors in the area. When concrete work slows down over the winter months, several of these contractors reach out to him to see if he can lend a hand for a few weeks or months. They consider themselves lucky when they can have him on their team, even if it is only for a little while.
February 3, 2025, started like a routine day. Chris took the family dog to the veterinarian and brought him home. Afterward, he went to work at his “winter job” in West Fargo. He was only on the job for about 20 minutes when he lost his footing on the roof and fell 12 feet onto the hard, frozen ground. Fortunately, Chris was not alone. Two other workers were at the job site with him and quickly sprang into action by trying to keep Chris warm until the ambulance arrived.
When the ambulance arrived at the emergency department, Chris was hypothermic. He suffered a traumatic brain injury – even losing consciousness after the fall for 10 minutes. He experienced a frontal lobe bleed and small bleeds with lesser brain stem involvement and sheering. In addition, he broke the front and back right side of his pelvis, right wrist, and facial bones (including his eye socket and right side of his nose) and damaged a ligament in his left ankle.
On top of his broken nasal bone, Christ had a cut to his right eye that caused extreme swelling and impaired vision for days. He was also dealing with headaches, jaw and tooth pain that made chewing uncomfortable, and problems with other internal organs.
After about a week in the acute care hospital, Chris reached a point where he was stable enough to advance to the next level of care, which is when he transferred to PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Fargo. Based on the Ranchos los Amigos Levels of Cognitive Functioning (RLAS) scale for traumatic brain injuries, he was progressing quickly and exceeding nearly everyone’s expectations.
“Chris has a determination like no one I’ve ever seen before,” Mandie shared. “He refuses to accept a new ‘normal.’ He believes he will ‘be me’ and ‘no new normal.’ It is this determination that I think got him back up on his feet only days after the accident.”
Fortunately, as the days progressed, Chris’ pain started to subside, and he was able to participate more fully in therapy. Small but meaningful victories marked his progress:
- Tolerating wake time and increasing levels of stimulation!
- Enjoying visits with his family, especially his kids!
- Walking in the hospital hallways with his family!
- Watching a few minutes of the Superbowl!
- Wearing ear buds to listen to his favorite podcast!
- Playing cards!
- Shaving!
- Going on a drive with his family (as a passenger)!
A little more than a week after his arrival at PAM Health Fargo, therapists visited his home for a safety assessment. Mandie and the kids were overjoyed to have him home again, and Chris was thrilled to take a shower in his own bathroom and help get the kids off to school.
Although Chris is back at home and doing well, his journey continues with outpatient therapy at PAM Health Fargo where physical therapists are collaborating with him on endurance and strengthening, and occupational therapists are helping him gain range of motion in his wrist and build up his weight-bearing ability. Speech therapists are guiding him through strategies to manage brain fatigue, improve reaction time for driving, and sharpen his decision-making skills for handling finances and daily tasks.
For the entire Kallhoff family, Chris’ experience is nothing short of a miracle. They are grateful to all his caregivers, doctors, and therapists for their exceptional efforts during what was quite a scary time. Mandie said it is so good for everyone to have him home. She said Chris lives for his family and leads a purpose-filled life with his biggest purpose being to care for his family. He looks forward to returning to work, driving his kids to and from activities, and resting his head on his pillow each night knowing he had a good, productive day.
Although the accident impacted the family dramatically and has slowed Chris down, they all know it is temporary. Together they are working hard and supporting one another with the knowledge that tomorrow will be better.
“Chris has a determination like no one I’ve ever seen before,” Mandie shared. “He refuses to accept a new ‘normal.’ He believes he will ‘be me’ and ‘no new normal.’ It is this determination that I think got him back up on his feet only days after the accident.”
