Donation protected
On May 3rd we put our perfectly healthy 16 year old son Alex on a plane to compete with his rowing team in the Southwest Regional Championships with Utah Crew. Less than 48 hours later he was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit - PICU at UC Davis medical center In Sacramento, California.
Alex has been diagnosed with a very rare and often fatal form of pneumonia. Necrotizing Pneumonia is a serious complication of community acquired pneumonia. This is NOT typical pneumonia. The disease has been killing the tissues of his lungs, making it impossible for him to breathe unassisted. Necrotizing pneumonia takes people from normal health to fighting for their lives in just a few hours or days.
The hospital has been working to identify the infecting agent, find appropriate antibiotics, remove infected fluid from dying lung cells and keeping his lungs operating. What's happened to Alex is so complex and complicated that the infectious agents still haven't completely been identified.
You can read more about necrotizing pneuomonia here
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4173892/.
As of today 5/15 Alex is on his NINTH DAY in the PICU. Alex is still breathing with multiple assistive devices, he has a PICC line through which he is being given antibiotics. He is being fed through a Neuro Gastric tube which is a tube through his nose and into his stomach, and he has a chest tube to drain infected fluid out of his lungs.
He has had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic of choice for treatment. So he is now on a sort of strong second choice antibiotic. Today's chest x-ray shows MORE fluid building in his lungs and it is getting thicker, meaning more problems are developing. Alex continues to run a high fever. This is an indication of how long it takes to treat such an incredibly serious infection. Alex is too critical to move to a hospital nearer to home and will need to remain in California. Doctors tell us he could be in the hospital for THREE MORE MONTHS!
Alex continues to surprise everyone with his strength of will and even a sense of humor! We have been told several times to count ourselves lucky that he is alive. This pneumonia is very rare and very deadly.
We are so grateful for this GoFundMe page and the people who have helped make it happen. As a family, we are facing a big challenge in leaving our home in Utah to be with him in California - requiring us to leave work. This is a very difficult time for Alex and our family as we work to care for Alex, cover our living and travel expenses, and pay for inevitable medical bills.
We are asking for help in raising funds to support his care, and help support his family. He has 4 siblings at home. If you are a friend of the family, part of his community, or someone that connects to his story and can contribute - we deeply thank you and appreciate your support.
Alex has been diagnosed with a very rare and often fatal form of pneumonia. Necrotizing Pneumonia is a serious complication of community acquired pneumonia. This is NOT typical pneumonia. The disease has been killing the tissues of his lungs, making it impossible for him to breathe unassisted. Necrotizing pneumonia takes people from normal health to fighting for their lives in just a few hours or days.
The hospital has been working to identify the infecting agent, find appropriate antibiotics, remove infected fluid from dying lung cells and keeping his lungs operating. What's happened to Alex is so complex and complicated that the infectious agents still haven't completely been identified.
You can read more about necrotizing pneuomonia here
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4173892/.
As of today 5/15 Alex is on his NINTH DAY in the PICU. Alex is still breathing with multiple assistive devices, he has a PICC line through which he is being given antibiotics. He is being fed through a Neuro Gastric tube which is a tube through his nose and into his stomach, and he has a chest tube to drain infected fluid out of his lungs.
He has had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic of choice for treatment. So he is now on a sort of strong second choice antibiotic. Today's chest x-ray shows MORE fluid building in his lungs and it is getting thicker, meaning more problems are developing. Alex continues to run a high fever. This is an indication of how long it takes to treat such an incredibly serious infection. Alex is too critical to move to a hospital nearer to home and will need to remain in California. Doctors tell us he could be in the hospital for THREE MORE MONTHS!
Alex continues to surprise everyone with his strength of will and even a sense of humor! We have been told several times to count ourselves lucky that he is alive. This pneumonia is very rare and very deadly.
We are so grateful for this GoFundMe page and the people who have helped make it happen. As a family, we are facing a big challenge in leaving our home in Utah to be with him in California - requiring us to leave work. This is a very difficult time for Alex and our family as we work to care for Alex, cover our living and travel expenses, and pay for inevitable medical bills.
We are asking for help in raising funds to support his care, and help support his family. He has 4 siblings at home. If you are a friend of the family, part of his community, or someone that connects to his story and can contribute - we deeply thank you and appreciate your support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Christopher Hacon
Organizer
Salt Lake City, UT
Lisa Campbell
Beneficiary