Brady S

It was supposed to be happy holidays, but Jeff and Amy were worrying about the high fever their 14-month-old son Brady was running. “It wouldn’t go down. He wasn’t sick – he had no other symptoms – but his fever was so high for several days and he was becoming lethargic,” says Amy.

Their pediatrician told them if it persisted for 5 days that they would need to rush to HSC Winnipeg Children’s Hospital. So, on New Year’s Day, 2017, they rang in the year in Children’s Emergency.

There a nurse advocated for blood tests, even though Brady had no significant symptoms besides the high fever. The results showed his white platelets were much higher than they should be. He was admitted for more tests and ongoing care.

“It was stressful. Our oldest daughter was five, so we were trying to take care of her too and send her to grandparents so we could be at the hospital as much as possible,” says Amy. “Every time a team member came, we had hope there was going to be an answer to what was wrong, but it was a rollercoaster because they couldn’t determine why he was sick. It was draining, emotionally, mentally and physically.”

Brady was monitored daily for 13 days by specialized teams from oncology, rheumatology, cardiology, hematology, and infectious diseases.

“The staff were fantastic. The amazing nurses and doctors made it easier because they were so dedicated to finding an answer. They took their time seeing him daily and explaining everything to us. There was reassurance that they were continuing to try new things and wouldn’t stop.”

The medical team decided to treat Brady with IVIg (Intravenous immunoglobulin) used to reduce the effects of some autoimmune diseases. The treatment worked well, and Brady was back to normal within 48 hours of starting treatment.

Brady was diagnosed with atypical presentation of Kawasaki Disease – a syndrome of unknown cause that results in blood vessels becoming inflamed. He continued to be monitored at the Children’s Heart Centre at HSC Children’s for the next two years as Kawasaki can cause aneurysms in some children’s hearts.

Now five years old, Brady is healthy and getting ready for Grade One. He loves hockey and baseball, playing with his dog and being outdoors. Amy says he has even accomplished the monkey bars at the local playground this year.

Amy and Jeff are thankful their son is doing so well thanks to the support at HSC Children’s Hospital and donors who continue caring for kids by giving to Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

“It is an incredible facility with great teams of doctors supporting such a large area. Without funding they wouldn’t be able to provide the care to all these kids, like our Brady.”