Lisa and Kenny Johnson, proprietors of Rt. 21 Ice Cream & More in McClellandtown, celebrated the restaurant’s Grand Opening on May 9…but there was far more to celebrate than the opening of a business.
Nearly three years ago-when the ice cream parlor was still only an idea – the couple was stricken with a severe case of COVID-19. Kenny fared better than Lisa and was discharged home after a week in the hospital.
Lisa wound up on a ventilator.
Within a few days, doctors had decided that Lisa had suffered irreversible brain damage and would have a poor quality of life if she even survived. “Pulling the plug,” she says, was a consideration. “Two-and-a-half months in, I woke up.”
To say her recovery was arduous would be an understatement-even paling compared to her 2018 battle with breast cancer, when she had required a complicated surgery and 25 radiation treatments. With COVID-19, “I lost all my hair, [was] paralyzed on my left side. Collapsed lungs. Kidneys shut down, and I was on dialysis. Drop foot in both feet…two cardiac arrests…blood clot in each leg…blood clot in one arm…septic three times…”
After over six months of hospital care, it was recommended that Lisa go to a skilled rehab facility in Ohio for a few months. Lisa, however, insisted that she was going home.
“I came home bald-headed and bedridden. Oxygen. A wound VAC on my rear end for an unstageable pressure ulcer [which had] tunneled up to my spine. And a feeding tube.”
“I was in bed for another 6-7 months after discharge,” she continues, “learning how to walk and talk and the whole bit.” Kenny and his mother, Sarah Lewis, became Lisa’s full-time caregivers.
“Kenny was so dedicated. He never missed a day visiting me when I was in the hospital all those months. He played a huge part in my recovery.”
“My entire immediate family was very involved in my recovery,” Lisa says. From the outset, daughters Haylee and Sara Petko had been coordinating their mother’s care, helping their stepfather with his household needs, and keeping Lisa’s other business (Reliable Home Care) afloat.
“And with God, all things are possible,” she adds. “I had thousands of people praying for me.”
Lisa also had plenty of time to contemplate life while she was recovering.
“I concluded that …you’d better do what you wanna do, because tomorrow is not promised. So, I figured we might as well get started on this ice cream shop.” Hence, Rt. 21 Ice Cream & More was conceived.
The shop was going to be basic, at first. “We just figured we’d slap some paint on and call it a day.” But Lisa’s sister insisted she needed a theme. “It’s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s-everything I like or grew up with.” They decorated with delightful and eclectic memorabilia from these decades… even a life-sized statue of Elvis!
“The decor and look that you see wasn’t planned,” Lisa tells me. “We just went with the flow. Whatever popped into mind to make this different from other ice cream shops.”
“The best part of running the shop is seeing the look on customers’ faces when they walk in and they smile, and I hear them say, ‘Look how cute!’ and them telling us what a great thing this has been for the community.”
“So many people say that they remember going to the Twin Kiss when they were little, and now they have a place to make memories with their children and grandchildren.”
Rt. 21 Ice Cream & More’s menu offers more than ice cream, including a large variety of salads, pizza, and sandwiches. “I wanted an ice cream shop that served food…NOT a diner that served ice cream.”
Sitting at the counter of the parlor, Lisa appears healthy. But, “COVID has affected my entire life,” she confides. Drop foot persists on the left, forcing her to continue using a cane. “My hands are numb. My left face and skull are numb, [as are] my right outer arm, left inner arm, right thigh, left calf, and tops of my feet. I have this chronic cough and shortness of breath, [though] I’ve never smoked a day in my life.” Digestive issues and bladder issues persist. “I also have a huge hole that remains from that horrible bedsore on my tailbone.” But Lisa is not complaining.
“I really do believe I’m here for a special reason. And I’ve come to the point where I say, ‘Why me, God?’ Why do I keep having so many GOOD things happen in my life? NOT because something went wrong.”
“I’m just different,” she exclaims with a laugh.
Check out Rt. 21 Ice Cream & More at 1215 McClellandtown Road, McClellandtown, PA for some great ice cream and a trip through the decades. You can also find them on Facebook!
