Bryce Griffin

My name is Hailee and this is my husband Bryce’s story. On August 8, 2021 he was taken to the hospital due to complications from Covid. We thought he would just need a couple of days of some oxygen support and then be ready to come back home. Unfortunately, we could not have been more wrong. He developed pneumonia as well and that created the perfect storm. He was intubated on August 24, 2021. Again we were hoping it would be only for a short time.  He developed pneumonia again and was overall very sick. The team at the New  Smyrna hospital did all they could, but were limited by lack of resources. After 6 weeks of desperately trying to get him to Daytona Advent, we finally made it there on October 2, 2021. He would not have survived another day without getting to Daytona and put on ECMO. His lungs were unable to get rid of the deadly high levels of C02 built up in his system. Once we got to Daytona, the team did all they could to save him and his lungs. It was a hard fought battle to get him stable enough to reduce his sedation and get Physical therapy to come and work with him. That hospital had never done physical therapy with an ECMO patient before. Bryce pushed through all the hurdles and proved it can be done! The overall support and determination from the entire staff was overwhelming. They went above and beyond trying to get Bryce home. Once they knew that Bryce needed a higher level of care, they began the long process of getting a transplant hospital to take him.  After weeks of effort from Bryce and his amazing doctors and dedicated team, we convinced Emory in Atlanta, GA that Bryce was worth the transfer. They flew their team down and came to get Bryce. They had never gone that far to get a patient before. Daytona Advent lined the halls with staff and even their CEO to wish Bryce the best on this new  chapter of his journey. He felt the love and support and we were overwhelmed with how much he came to mean to these people that had been strangers not so long ago. We arrived at Emory Dec 15, 2021. The transfer went smooth and Bryce is doing well. We are still a long way from getting home, but this new team has hit the ground running and are doing everything to help Bryce. They are evaluating him and moving forward on their game plan for him. He is receiving the best care and we are so thankful to be here. We can’t thank all those involved enough. From the cleaning crew and kitchen staff to the doctors and nurses and case managers, everyone has been wonderful. We have truly learned how amazing people are. ❤️