August 22 marked one week since the Bird Family’s world was turned upside down. They cannot thank everyone enough for the calls, messages, and—most importantly—your prayers for Deven. Please keep them coming—he needs every single prayer. They are completely overwhelmed by the love and support from their family, friends, and community during this very difficult time.

A meal train was initially set up to help their family, but now they are out of the area. The meal train is still active through the end of the month for those that have already signed up. The meals will still benefit their youngest son and aunt and uncle who have to stay home. Going forward, this GoFundMe has been set up to help offset some of the medical expenses, hotel costs, and eating out costs. Please keep in mind that both Aaron and Christi will be out of work at this time taking care of their son, and the duration of their absence is unknown. They absolutely do not expect monetary help, so do not feel obligated. BUT absolutely please keep Deven in your prayers. I think that is something we can at least do for them ❤️

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Below are the words written from Christi:

On August 9th, Deven started feeling bad with what seemed like a simple cold.

On August 12th, he went golfing but came home early because he wasn’t feeling well.

On August 13th, on his way to work, he had to pull over because he felt nauseous. At work, he was dizzy and sick to his stomach. Urgent Care tested him for COVID—he was positive—and they gave him Zofran. That evening, despite medication, he was throwing up and feeling worse.

On Thursday, I brought him to the ER. His bloodwork didn’t look bad, so they gave him other nausea meds, fluids, and sent him home.

On Friday morning, we said goodbye and told him we loved him before leaving to bring Dillion to his new college 22 hours away. He still felt dizzy, but we truly believed this was just vertigo from COVID. Aunt Audrey left my house at 10 a.m. because she was there taking care of Denver while we were gone.

At noon that day, when I couldn’t reach him by phone, I knew something was wrong. My mother’s intuition was in full gear. His Aunt Audrey went to check on him and found him on the floor, disoriented and unable to get up. She called 911, and he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Aaron and I were heartbreakingly 5 hours away from our son in need.

At the hospital, things changed quickly. He was confused and incoherent, and to protect his airways, they had to sedate him and place him on a ventilator. His condition was also made worse from dehydration. CT scans showed only a scalp hematoma, and MRIs revealed nothing significant.

The second spinal tap on Monday showed elevated white blood cells and high intracranial pressure—pointing to viral-induced encephalopathy.

The doctors started high-dose steroids on Tuesday and IVIG on Thursday. Friday (August 22) he began showing small signs in the right direction—holding my hand with a grip and later opening his eyes, though still not following commands.

After days of fighting for a transfer, he is now at Baylor St. Luke’s Neurology ICU in Houston. Here, he’s receiving specialized care, including a 24-hour EEG, a repeat MRI, antivirals, and seizure medication (Keppra). He is still on the ventilator, but he is breathing on his own with BiPAP support.

We are holding on to every small step forward, and we continue to pray and believe for complete healing. Please join us in lifting Deven up in prayer—asking for his full recovery and strength for our family in the days ahead.

❤️ #PrayForDeven