Every parent’s nightmare. A good friend of mine, who I worked with for 15 years, tragically and suddenly lost his 18 year old son Ryan to a rare disease. Four weeks ago he was the picture of health. A star soccer player in his senior year of high school. Yesterday I attended his funeral.
Four weeks ago he complained about being lethargic and having a bit of a fever. The family doctor diagnosed mono. A little over a week later, as the symptoms worsened and what looked like a cold sore appeared, they took him to Children’s Hospital. Cultures were taken and after a few days of lab work, an diagnosis was made. He had the viral form of HLH-94 which my meager research says is known as viral-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (VAHS) or infection-associated… (IAHS). Apparently it is a rare disease that is difficult to diagnose. Affects the blood.
They admitted him to the hospital right away and began chemo as a last ditch effort to save his life. In a week his organs began to fail. Cardiac arrest killed him this past Saturday.
The visitation and funeral was jammed with people. Kids from the high school. Friends and coworkers. All with the same glazed-eye expression of shock and fear (if this can happen to someone like Ryan, it can happen to anyone. ::shudder: