Work accident changed life for Mantorville resident

Paul and Catherine Sorum moved to Mantorville in 2003. Paul grew up near Remer, Minn. with three brothers and two sisters and Cathy in Anoka with three siblings.
Paul lived on a farm close to town but in the fall, during his youth, he would also help harvest wild rice on a nearby lake. They would go out in a canoe and would knock off the wild rice with a flat board to fill the boat to bring to the processing plant for the parching process (heating the wild rice to improve the grain before the chaff is removed). They would even get a day off from school to harvest the rice.
Cathy worked as a secretary in the cities but moved to Remer with her three daughters in 1972. She and Paul were married in 1976. Paul worked at various jobs including hauling fuel oil and as a mechanic at a local gas station. He worked for five years for a local timber company hauling wood chips and doing mechanical work on machines and trucks plus farming.                                                            
He decided to attend a two-year vo-tech school in Anoka in 1981, studying electronics and worked for six years as a field service representative for a company repairing and servicing equipment in the packaging and pharmaceutical industry, traveling across the U.S., plus also some other countries.
Paul then did mechanical work on machines with an asphalt business for a couple of years in the cities.
In 2000 a job was available at United Rental agency in Roseville that required commuting an hour from where they were living in Anoka. This same company also had an equipment rental business in Rochester so he would travel there each week and he would alternate working at both stores.
Finally they decided to move to this area as their son lived in Kasson.
Since Paul had done some truck driving during his various jobs, he inquired about driving positions at McNeilus Steel. In 2008 he was hired to haul loads of steel to companies across parts of Minnesota and Iowa. Life changed suddenly on March 16, 2017. While unloading his truck at Courtland, Minn. he fell backwards onto the frozen ground in the yard area. Fortunately there were people helping unload at the stop as many times there might not be anyone else at the job site. A couple of the employees were first responders and EMT’s with the local fire department and ambulance service and they quickly called 911.
He was transported by Mayo helicopter to St. Marys hospital. The county sheriff contacted Cathy saying they were bringing Paul to Rochester because of an accident but she did not know how serious the situation was. Cathy and their son, Eric, got to the hospital before the helicopter arrived.
The doctors said they needed to take out a portion of Paul’s skull (this section would later be put back again) to relieve the pressure on his brain and it could be a five-hour procedure. Plus they had no idea if he would survive. He was in the ICU unit for a week in a coma.
Cathy said she prayed for his recovery but also did not want to see him just remaining alive in a vegetative state. When he regained consciousness they moved him to a different floor to start rehab as he had suffered broken ribs, collarbone and bones in his wrist, a damaged shoulder and very limited use of an arm and fingers, plus he used a feeding tube.
Later she asked if Paul could finally have coffee, with his full-fledged Norwegian ancestry, but they told him he would need to add a thickener or could have an issue with choking on a liquid.
The staff asked him what he would like to eat and they listed off a bunch of meal options. Paul chose fish but after the pureed fish was eaten he said, “I have had better.” Finally after a month he was able to eat solid food.
Cathy said she would be at the hospital each day for five hours. Paul was in the hospital for 8-½ weeks before he could finally leave but continued to return for rehab three times each week for the next 12 months.
The doctors estimate that Paul has suffered brain damage of 25% but his recovery came along faster due to his physical strength and endurance. He just doesn’t have the stamina like he had before the

 
injury, he said, and doesn’t always realize that he should not be doing something he used to be able to do. Paul has no recollection of the injury and a Workers Compensation Associate, who also suffered a bad arm accident, told him that might be a good thing. He has had some issues with an eye and plugged ears and will get headaches quite often that will likely continue to occur. He tries to avoid loud and noisy rooms that bother him, he said.
Paul took a driving course with an instructor and had to drive throughout Rochester to see how he performed. He passed the test so he did not need to retake the driver’s license test to continue to qualify for his license.
One of the things during rehab that he needed to work on was keeping his balance and make sure he does not fall and hit his head.
One of the things Cathy needs to keep an eye on is Paul’s lack of ability to sense not doing some of the things he used to do such as climbing ladders, being aware of some situations where he might fall and just remembering something with his short term memory loss.
Paul was finally able to return to McNeilus Steel for one to two hours three times per week which he did for over two years. He was told by his rehab people he could work alternate days for a few hours but never for a full eight-hour day. After the COVID-19 issues appeared he chose to retire this past summer.
Cathy said she worked in the catering business for 20 years while they lived in Anoka making wedding cakes and food for companies and individual gatherings.  “I could probably write a book with the fun comments the young students would say,” she said, as she would write down the interesting things the children said.
One of her pastimes is reading and one of her daughters brought a couple of bags of books this spring and she almost has them all read. Cathy said reading all those books is probably her only accomplishment during this COVID-19 time. Paul does some reading but sometimes it is hard for him to concentrate especially if there is interference with the TV, etc.
Paul used to enjoy doing some small engine repair in his garage but said he has quit doing that as he doesn’t want to put up with the engine smoke and it is also hard on his shoulder to pull on the engine starter cords.
He joined the Kasson-Mantorville Lions in 2004. In August he was one of the club members that volunteered to mow the large area of the K-M school lawn property so the school maintenance crew could do other necessary work to get ready for the new school year.
The Sorum’s have 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. They also have a local connection that goes back many years as Paul’s great-grandfather once owned land the South Zumbro Lutheran church is located on. When they visited the church cemetery they found that several ancestors buried there.