Report: Accident During Operation Causes Death of Personality

Steve, Kerri Drees

Popular Christian Radio personality Kerri Drees died early this week in a Fargo hospital, where she was undergoing a lap-band operation. Drees was a morning co- host on KKEQ Your QFM in Grand Forks since January 2011.

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According to The Forum in Fargo,  Kerri and her husband, Steve, arrived at Altru Hospital at 5:45 a.m. Monday for her to have a 30- to 45-minute procedure to remove the Lap-Band she’d had since 2007. Surgery was set for 7:45 a.m. and before Kerri was rolled away, she kissed Steve and said, “I love you.” 

He, thinking 17 years together was not nearly enough told her, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

It was not to be as complications during surgery claimed Kerri’s life.

About 45 minutes after the surgery was to have started, Steve went to Altru’s information desk for an update. “The gal said the only information they had was that the first incision was made 41 minutes ago,” he said.

Kerri Drees

About 10 minutes later two staff members “in scrubs came and asked to talk to me,” Steve continued. “It was obvious they didn’t want to talk to me in the main waiting area, so my heart sank. I followed them back to the chapel area, where I met with them and the chaplain. The two staff members were an anesthesiologist and a surgical nurse. The anesthesiologist told me there were complications. Kerri had lost a lot of blood and her heart had stopped twice. He assured me they had several people working to stabilize her but it didn’t look good.”

Steve was later told that Kerri’s aorta had been nicked during the first incision.

There are those who want to place blame, Steve said, “and I don’t. Kerri wasn’t the type to blame. Every operation has inherent risk and every human being is different. I have no ill will. It’s easier for me not to hold ill will knowing Kerri had a living and vibrant faith.”

A veteran of Christian radio, Kerri began working in January 2011 at QFM, which has offices in Fosston, Minn., and Bemidji, Minn. She had previously worked at radio station Power 92 in Fargo.

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