Once a year the company flies in a group of patients whose lives were changed by devices made in Minnesota.

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Medtronic is giving a group of international VIPs a rare, behind the scenes tour of its operations this week. 

In this case, VIP stands for Very Important Patients.

“This is the Interstim?” said Morgon Latimore, pointing to a device that has helped him control his overactive bladder for years. “That’s it, right there.”

Latimore is a retired Marine who flew in from North Carolina to tour the Medtronic facility that makes the components for his Interstim device. It was a trip he couldn’t wait to take because he wanted to see everything – and everyone – who helped make the device that helped him get his life back. 

“For years, I couldn’t tell my command or people that I was having bladder issues because they wouldn’t let me go serve,” Latimore said. “And so I had to hide it. It got to the point that I couldn’t sleep because I would wake up every 20 minutes.”

Latimore and the other VIPs didn’t just take a tour. They also had a chance to share their stories with the very people who had a hand in changing their lives.

“We have a room full of 100 people that have, in one way or another, actually touched those specific devices,” said Jason Case, a VP of Research and Development for Medtronic. “It’s really just a compelling moment to bring it to life.”

Another VIP, 16-year-old Grace Morris, was thrilled to travel all the way from Australia, especially after spending most of her life relying on a Medtronic tracheostomy tube to breathe.

“It means so much,” Morris said. “If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here right now. It was only supposed to be for a few months. It ended up being 14 years with it.”

Morris is thankful that she no longer has to rely on the tube, meaning she can now finally enjoy trips to the beach and trips in general. 

“Before I came here, to Minneapolis, I never even left the state of New South Wales,” she said. “So that’s a massive step.”

And with each step of the tour, she gained more appreciation for the devices that keep countless VIPs going.

“It’s changed everything,” Morris said. “How I see myself, how I see others… just seeing all the machinery and the and all the people scrubbed up and taking time to make sure it’s just right. It was mind-blowing.”

For Latimore, the highlight was the reception with all of the employees.

“You know, robots are cool, factories are cool, but the people are the coolest,” he said. “Understanding that there are people that actually care about what they’re doing that wanna be here. I’m still hearing people that have been here 20, 30, 40 years. 

They’re shaking my hand, they’re giving me hugs and they just, they’re excited about sharing with me their experience on how they worked on my device. I mean, that’s priceless.”

Though they know they can’t repay them for all they’ve done, the VIPs were thrilled to simply pay their respects. 

“I can’t thank everyone enough,” Grace said to the crowd.

“You’re not just making devices but you’re saving lives,” Latimore said. “I want to say thank you, and that’s all I got.”Â