Hey friends.
We thank you so much for your prayers for our little nephew Braden. I wanted to give you more details as well as an update. Braden is Mark’s brother and sister-in-law’s 18-month-old baby. A couple of days ago, he stopped being able to walk or even stand on his own. He’s been to the doctor but he kept getting worse and he cries like he’s in a lot of pain.
Yesterday at 9:30am he went to the emergency room. They sedated him and ran all kinds of tests. They discovered he has a septic infection (septis), which is extremely serious. We did all kinds of research on the infection. Here is what one site says:
“Sepsis is a serious medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state (called a systemic inflammatory response syndrome or SIRS) and the presence of a known or suspected infection. Sepsis is usually treated in the intensive care unit with intravenous fluids and antibiotics. If fluid replacement is insufficient to maintain blood pressure, specific vasopressor drugs can be used. Artificial ventilation and dialysis may be needed to support the function of the lungs and kidneys, respectively.”
“Severe sepsis occurs when sepsis leads to organ dysfunction, low blood pressure, or insufficient blood flow to one or more organs (causing, for example, lactic acidosis, decreased urine production, or altered mental status). Sepsis can lead to septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (formerly known as multiple organ failure), and death.”
We saw him last night. He was pretty tired, but still laughing and talking. The first thing he said when he came out of sedation was, “PIZZA!” He also calls all of the male nurses “Mark”. He had surgery late last night to drain and replace the infected fluid. Though the surgery went well, there is a chance that they will have to repeat the surgery in the next day or two.
Mark’s brother and his wife are pretty torn up, obviously. He’s the sweetest, happiest little boy and we just want him to be well. Please pray for Braden and for his parents Brad and Amanda. Pray that a second surgery wouldn’t be needed. Pray for the family’s financial situation, as they do not have good insurance.
Thank you so much.
Brandy (and Mark)
