Henry’s Story

Site created on February 15, 2020

Henry has always been a super healthy kiddo - On Sunday we thought he just was coming down with the icky respiratory stuff that's been circulating like wildfire in the schools.  He had a high temp but overall was feeling good. Monday was more of the same and so was Tuesday.  Wednesday his temp was coming down really nicely with Motrin and Tylenol and he was eating and drinking. Thursday he still wasn't feeling better and we were going to bring him in because it seemed like this was going on a little longer than we wanted.  Ashley and Jeremy thought to check his oxygen saturation for some reassurance - what they discovered was quite the opposite and he needed to be transported to Children's by ambulance.  They got him down to Children's quick and the staff took over from there.  He had very low oxygen in his blood and was very sick. They drew a bunch of blood and did a chest X-ray immediately and he was thought to likely have pneumonia.  The chest X-ray did come back with pneumonia, and it was infecting both lungs. After talking with the doctors they wanted to move him up to the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) for his care.  They put him on a very high tech nasal cannula to try to support his breathing and avoid intubating him since he was "creeping along" as the doctor put it. When we got upstairs to the PICU they did a lot more testing and discovered he was fighting RSV, parainfluneza (strain four), entero/rhinovirus as well as the pneumonia.  Our little guy is very sick.
Two nights ago he seemed to being ok when we could keep him calm but we struggled to keep him comfortable, and he was working hard to breathe still.  The day went on and things didn't really get better and repeat chest X-rays showed worsening fluid. We decided before it became emergent and the fluid in his lungs "solidified" we needed to get it out.  They intubated him and started him on a ventilator so that his lungs can start to heal by expanding fully and trying to push the fluid out. He also was worn out from trying to breath for himself. The goal is to get him better quickly! :) 
The next thing they did was put in what they call a chest tube, which is to help drain the fluid from AROUND his lung (not inside it) They got 150ml of pus from around his right lung.  Keep in mind, a cup is 240ml. That's a lot of fluid for a four year old to have around a lung! His left lung does have fluid, but not as much so we're trying to avoid adding another chest tube at this point.
Another thing they did was start a central line (so he has an IV in his large vein in his neck), and did some repeat imaging.   They got him comfortable and we went back in to see him. It was a relief to see him comfortable.  
Today he got an arterial line to keep a closer eye on his temp, blood pressure and ability to draw labs as needed.  He's also getting medicine to try to break up the junk in and around his lungs.  They also placed a feeding tube and a tube to drain his bladder. 
They are working on evening out his medicines to keep his blood pressures more stable. We don't know why he got as sick as he did, the doctors simply explained to us he got very unlucky getting all three viruses at the same time, which allowed a pneumonia (strep A pneumonia -- NOT Strep throat) to rapidly set in. It has been a horrible year for respiratory issues they say and they have seen a lot of this.  To get ONE of these could have landed him in the hospital, but to get three at one time is just terrible luck.
The nurses, doctors and ALL staff have been absolutely amazing, compassionate, and thorough. We couldn't be happier he's here getting the best care.  We have so many resources and are thankful for family and friends that have given us prayers and support.  We don't know what the road looks like, but we're on it! It going to be a journey and we really appreciate the support. 
In case your wondering about visitors - as you are probably well aware - they are extremely limited and he's already fighting a really tough battle. We do not want to unknowingly expose him to anything else.  We will keep everyone updated as time and situation allows via this site.  

gf.me/u/xkqg34

Newest Update

Journal entry by Megan Enebak

The title says it all!!! Henry is home sweeet home! 
We are so happy to be home and we feel all the love. Prayers please for continued health — Henry will be closely followed in the coming weeks. We can’t express our gratitude enough for everyone that has been there for us, whether it was our urgent prayer requests, coffee delivery, toys to keep Henry occupied, all the cards and all the other ways people have generously supported us. We appreciate you all so much. Hug your loved ones — life is so precious and we are so glad to have our sassy boy back!!!!!! 

All the love in the world!!!
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