Poor Lil Guy

I have two nephews and four nieces. Of the six, two are babies. Reagan is 10 months old, and Luke is six months old. They are adorable kiddos and I grow more fond of them every time I see them. On the 4th of July I got to spend time with all of the kids, and it was fun just to do things that kids do, like blowing bubbles and playing Hide and Seek.

Luke and Reagan were fun to watch, as per usual. I got some cute photos of both of them while grandma and grandpa were playing with them:









So loveable!

We had another family gathering on Sunday night. As per tradition, we get together for a BBQ and then go see the fireworks at Weber State for the 24th of July. This year the fireworks were on the 13th, not the 24th, so I made the trek up to Ogden to spend much anticipated time with my family. Little Luke was there, and not feeling at all well. He couldn't hold up his head, and he was not acting like the curious, constantly moving baby I'd come to know. His mom and dad were worried about him, and the rest of us echoed their concern.

Yesterday, as I was leaving work and about to get onto 400 South in SLC, I got a call from my mom saying that my sister was taking Luke to Primary Childrens Medical Center. The doctor had told her that she didn't have time to drop off her three-year-old anywhere because she needed to get Luke to the hospital as soon as possible. My mom asked if I would meet Kim at the hospital and pick up her daughter. I promptly agreed and called Kim to verify our plans. She informed me that she was already on 400 South heading east. As I turned on to 400 South, there she was, driving right behind me. We caravaned to the hospital, where she and her husband kissed Maddie goodbye and put her in my car before whisking Luke into the Emergency Room. I took Maddie to my other sister's house, where she had dinner waiting for her.

It turns out that Luke has Clostridium Botulism. This strain of Botulism is different than the type you get from food, and unfortunately, there is no antitoxin for it. The only option is to let it run its course inside of Luke's little body. Luckily, his mom got him to the hospital before the effects worsened. Now the docs there can monitor him and take care of him as the toxin continues to cause paralysis of his muscles, including his gag reflex.

Luke will be in the hospital for at least six weeks, which should be enough time for the toxins to completely leave his body. I was relieved to hear that most of the time, babies don't have any lasting damage from Botulism, but my heart still hurts for Luke and the hard road he has ahead of him for the next month and a half. Please keep Luke and his family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time!