Emersyn had been complaining about neck pain. Nothing major but definitely bothering her since she asked for medicine. It persisted a little but she still played, still ate.

A few days later that changed. Now she was vomiting and with COVID running rampant, we weren't risking anyone's health. Off to the pediatrician we went. I expressed concern that with neck pain and vomiting, it could be meningitis? But the answer was vague and non-committal: possibly but unlikely. So we went home. Where Emersyn became lethargic and vomited more.

Fast forward two weeks and we'd been to the pediatrician three times, the ER once with IV fluids and labs done, and now Andrew had Emersyn at a walk in where they could do x-rays. Emersyn was living off Tylenol and Motrin at this point, not eating or drinking, didn't want to be in the sunlight, and something was definitely wrong. It wasn't a stomach bug like the ER doctor thought. This was something...else.

So I drove to the ER directly after work and met Andrew there. Because of COVID, he couldn't come in, so he sat anxiously in his car for HOURS. Repeated labs, repeated swabs, repeated pokes, and finally the idea of a CT scan. And when the doctor came in, my heart sank. She was hopeful it was something like an abscess on Emersyn's throat, but she was wrong. There was spots all over the CT, and we were headed to the ICU.

It was surreal. Andrew was allowed into the ER and we headed upstairs in quiet, overwhelmed shock. How?! How is this our life right now? They said it was a stomach bug! I wanted to turn back and beg the doctor to change her mind, to double check the name on the scan. Anything to get rid of this awful nightmare playing out in our lives. But this was very real, and very bad.