ARDS Kids Stories

If you would like add your ARDS kid's story, please use our Contact Form The stories will be edited for length so that we can include as many as possible. Go to Ards Stories Go to ARDS Kids Pages

ARDS Survivor: Julie Russell

Eighteen year old Julie Russell had everything to live for...she was President of her student council, National Honor Society President, yearbook editor and Homecoming Queen. Julie also had a part time job and attended church several times a week; to say the least, Julie was extremely active. There was not much in this world that could slow her down. But suddenly, Julie encountered something that would do much more than just slow her down...acute respiratory distress syndrome.

In late February, 2002, Julie, thought she had the flu. As she sat in her English class, she experienced massive chest pain and put her head down for the remainder of the class. The last thing Julie remembers was asking a friend to get her homework. That was the last time she was in Hanna High School. When Julie went to the doctor the next day, she was told she had the flu, even though she could hardly breathe. Four days passed and Julie was getting worse until she finally went to the hospital. Admitted to the hospital with what was diagnosed initially as pneumonia, Julie soon learned she had ARDS. She was airlifted to St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas, 350 Miles from her family and friends. Although, both her parents went to be with her, her dad left his business behind and his asst. fire chief job. She spent the next seven weeks in the ICU, and nine weeks hooked up to a ventilator. Often, nurses, and even some doctors stayed in her room with her 24 hours a day. Finally, Julie was given nitric oxide, which doctors believe helped to keep her alive. The doctors had given Julie's parent's almost no hope, and even said that she would probably be on a ventilator for the rest of her life. During the course of her hospitalization, Julie suffered six weeks of terrible drug withdrawals, a collapsed lung which required a chest tube, a biopsy, many serious infections, aspiration pneumonia and blood transfusions.

During the course of her hospitalization, but besides the constant attention of her devoted family and friends, her classmates and those from church sent Julie hundreds of letters offering their prayers for her recovery. Julie credits her recovery to God answering the prayers of others, as well as her own. The road to recovery has not been easy for Julie, as she cannot run the three miles she used to, or play volleyball with friends yet, but Julie left St. Luke's Hospital on May 31, 2002, and on June 4, 2002, she walked across the stage to receive her graduation diploma, and to give the invocation. Before Julie got sick graduation was just another event in her life; but after she got sick, graduation signified something so much greater ... it was an absolute miracle. Today, Julie's lungs are only twenty-five percent of what their capacity should be, but Julie is beginning physical and occupational therapy. She is praying that one day they will be close to their original capacity. Julie plans to attend college in the fall at Texas A & M University.

Her spirit and determination is a tribute to not only ARDS survivors but anyone who is facing the challenge of their life...and with each passing day, Julie is striving to make the most out of living.

Julie's lung capacity is over 65% now and she works out almost an hour everyday. Julie never thought she would work out again. Though she never had the endurance to run long distances again, that she can live with.

In 2006, Julie is a Senior at Texas A&M University. She was a senior in high school when was diagnosed with ARDS and will be receiving her bachelor of science in special education this year. Julie is so excited to be working with children who have disabilities.

Julie has been fortunate to meet with other families who have been fighting ARDS, both in person and online. The connections she has made have really been an encouragement.

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ARDS: Courtney Shelstad

Courtney was the perfect daughter. She was loving, caring, sensitive, giving, unselfish, beautiful, trustworthy, and athletic. For having just turned seventeen, she was mature beyond her years. Courtney was very popular, not only with the "in" crowd, but with everyone else. She would search out lonely souls, put a smile on their faces and into their hearts. It did not matter if they wore black chains, preppy clothes or were nerds.

Zoe's mother, Arlene, and grandmother, Johanna, were happy, as they expected Zoe would have her expansion, and God willing, they would be on the road for our long drive home, in time for Easter Dinner.

As they waited in the surgical waiting room, the GI doctor was the first to come out and he told them that he had done the scope, and Zoe proved to have a Hiatal Hernia, which will require medication. Nothing Earth shattering. About an hour later, Zoe's Orthopedic Surgeon joined them in the waiting room, and explained all went well, and they would get to see her in about a half hour. But ninety minutes went by and the family knew something was wrong. It was then that they were told that things were not well, they were not able to get Zoe off the Vent and her lower extremities were blue. The X-ray, it appeared as though Zoe had pneumonia and at the very least, she was unstable. They asked for permission to put in a Central Line, but little did the family know how bad everything would get.

Zoe was transferred to ICU and the family was told that she had developed pneumonia. There were few answers to the many questions, but on Friday and Saturday, things seemed pretty stable and they thought it would just take time for Zoe to beat this pneumonia, that the respirator would give her the time she needed to resolve it. On Saturday evening, there was some discomfort, because they noticed Zoe's urine output had really dropped, but everyone was still saying that she was stable.

At about 10 PM, Zoe's Mom and Great Grandma felt comfortable enough to head to the hotel; her Grandmother, Johanna, stayed with her but at midnight, went back to the dorm to rest. At about 2:00 P.M., the nurse came running to bring her back to Zoe's bedside. Zoe had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. All the doctors were gathered around Zoe's bed in their scrubs, and they were taking Zoe off the respirator that was failing her, and putting her one what they called High Frequency Ventilation. It was a machine that would hopefully give Zoe's lungs the time they needed to heal. They at that time gave Zoe's grandmother a chance to touch Zoe, and to kiss her little leg, and beg her to fight this terrible thing that was happening to her, this terrible thing they now called ARDS.

Zoe, at that point, was as close to death as a human body can get, without passing over. Zoe's grandmother called Zoe's mom, and remembers thinking that God had to let Zoe Live, but not expecting Zoe could hold on, not even long enough for her Mom to get to the Hospital. As Zoe's family came together in the waiting room that night, Easter Sunday, it was to be a day of Hope around the World, but the family could find no comfort, not even in each other, as their little Angel was dying. Zoe, who was their "little Soldier" who had fought so many battles was now in a coma, with her body vibrating continually, on a machine that was as loud as an 18 wheeler truck. Her body was becoming more unrecognizable to them as she began to fill with fluid, and she was as cold as ice; all they could do was sit back against the wall in our chairs, and watch for hours, and hours, days, and weeks, as the doctors and nurses at the Boston Children's Hospital did just as they promised us on that Easter Morning, that they would do everything for Zoe. The rest was up to our Prayers, it would be God, in his infinite Wisdom, who would make the final decision.

Zoe's body fought hard to die, but the Doctors and Nurses, fought harder for her to live, and in the end, God made his final decision, and we brought Zoe home. She came home after seven weeks in the hospital, five of them spent on the ventilator, with no memory of what she had gone through. Within weeks of coming home, Zoe was back to life as normal. It was decided many weeks into Zoe's incident, that Zoe had aspirated in the Operating room that day of surgery a risk for many, but higher for Zoe, who has Gastric Reflux. Unfortunately, it is a risk she must take again, and again, as she requires many more surgeries to stay alive.

Though Zoe is still a fragile child, she is also A WARRIOR and for those around Zoe, who love her, they live differently today than they did before that Easter Sunday; they do not take life a day at a time anymore, they take it a minute at a time, and they are so grateful to God, and for the Prayers of the Faithful, and are extremely grateful for the heroic efforts of the doctors and nurses at the Boston Children's Hospital who never gave up on Zoe. They stopped at nothing to keep her alive.

Today, Zoe is in kindergarten in Plymouth, PA, enjoying things like marching in the Halloween parade, and she just walked down the isle as a flower girls at a friend's wedding. Zoe is an inspiration to all!

As of 2006, Zoe has had eighteen additional surgeries since 2003. She has many more to go. But her family says that Gd and the wonderful doctors have worked so hard to do everything to keep Zoe alive.

For now, Zoe's family gathers their strength and their loved ones to keep fighting the everyday battles of Zoe's life and they pray that she will continue to win these difficult battles.

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ARDS Survivor: Jessica's Miracle Contact Julie Dearinger

On Saturday, Feb. 8, 2003, Jessica woke up complaining of being dizzy. She said the room was spinning.

Her mom, Julie got out of bed and took her temperature; it was 104.7 and climbing. Several hours, Motrin and 2 tepid baths later Julie thought her fever started to break. By Monday afternoon, Julie called her doctor as Jessica was getting dehydrated. Jessica was taken to the hospital and she started to perk up by the time they went home, after receiving IV fluids.

On Wednesday Jessica was taken to see her doctor. Jessica had pneumonia and was so sick she collapsed in the hallway of the building going to the doctor‘s office. The doctor took some x-rays and prescribed antibiotics.

On Thursday morning, Jessica’s parents woke up at 3:30 AM because of her breathing. Jessica said that she felt like she had just got done running, meaning she felt ‘out of breath.’ Jessica went back to the hospital.

At the Emergency Department, the Physician Assistant thought he would give her a shot of antibiotics and send her home, but the nurse was unable to get an oxygen level during vital signs so they put 2 liters of oxygen on her and drew blood for an Artirial Blood Gas. Jessica’s O2 level was 54%.

Jessica was admitted the MED/SURG floor of the hospital; the hospital did not have a pediatric floor. Slowly, her sats were above 87%. For 8-10hours Jessica‘s oxygen dependency continued to increase util she was using a non-rebreather mask, but then slowly she started to improve. By Friday morning, she was sitting in bed coloring after breakfast with only a nasal canula for oxygen. Through the day, Jessica got slightly worse, but not drastically.

During that night, Jessica went downhill. Julie called Brad at about 6:00 AM and told him that Jessica would be transferred to Wichita. (60 miles away.) In the ambulance, Jessica continued to decline. That evening, at 6:00 PM, one week after originally waking with a fever, Jessica was intubated and placed on a ventilator. For the next six days Jessica battled a fever of 103-104F wrapped in a cooling blanket. Her skin was like ice to the touch, but her core temp would not come down. She was on 100% of oxygen for more than 36 hours. After 48 hrs of 100%, the physicians said that her lungs would be burnt even if she did survive.

Monday, the second day after she was placed on the ventilator her parents, Julie and Brad were told that Jessica had ARDS. Tuesday morning, Jessica received her first chest tube. Wednesday morning she needed her second chest tube. The doctor felt that ECMO was her last hope. He explained it is a bypass machine to oxygenate her blood and give her lungs a chance to recover. Finally a hospital that did ECMO on children her size was found, but this was not without complications as the transport was risky and ventilation methods would have to change.

With prayers, Jessica was able to tolerate the change from the special ventilator she was on to the ventilator for transport, but the fixed wing crew was fogged in at the Arkansas airport. Thursday, Feb. 20th at about noon Jessica was taken from Wichita, Kansas to Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). They called it a very "therapeutic flight" as Jessica didn’t need ECMO or even the oscillator ventilator once arriving at ACH.

In Arkansas, Jessica needed two more chest tubes. Each day, Julie and Brad prayed she would make it though another day, as her face swelled because of all the subcutaneous air that escaped from the holes in her lungs. Finally, Jessica began to improve. “The doctor told us we should give God ALL of the credit, because they could not explain why she started to get better as quickly as she did.”

During the next few weeks, Jessica continued to improve. She was extubated on March 16th, after four weeks. On March 21, they flew back to Wichita. Julie and Brad’s sons came back from Alabama, where they had been staying with an aunt and uncle family.

On March 28th, Jessica when home but less than 36 hours later, she seized from withdrawal. She was on Ativan and Methadone to control symptoms from narcotic withdrawal. Though she had been weaning off the Ativan in the hospital, Jessica was sent home without Ativan, which caused the seizure. Two days later, Jessica was back home on a very slow Ativan/Methadone taper.

The next few weeks were filled with careful monitoring and physical therapy to help Jessica regain enough strength to walk again, and eventually run. She had a tutor through the summer and in August; Jessica was able to return to school with here classmates. She remained on oxygen, but continued to recover. Eight months after being sent home she had a lung biopsy to confirm that there was no other active disease process. Her first pulmonary function test showed 30% of normal lung function. Her baseline has increase to 50-60% lung function.

Jessica is now 12 years old. She most likely will always require this suplemental oxygen at night, but does not need any during the day. She has been cleared for any activity she wants to do. Since her recovery she has cheered, been on the swim team, played volleyball and is thinking about playing basketball, too. A highlight from 2005 was that Jessica had the opportunity to participate in the "March for Miracles" in Chicago in support of ARDS research & the ARDS Foundation. She is still hoping to find other children who have survived ARDS and is in need of someone to understand what they have been through.

Julie and Brad know how lucky they are to have her. “She was so close to never coming home with us again.”

The prayers and support from family, friends, co-workers, and communities was incredible Julie and Brad looked around at parents in the PICU and knew how lucky they were, both able to be at Jessica’s beside. They cherish the small community in which they live…because of the people.

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ARDS Survivor: Jacob Stewart, Contact mother, DeAnna

Jacob Stewart is a nine-year-old boy, whose parents, DeAnna and Larry love him very much. Jacob also has severe autism, with self-abuse, MR, CP, he is non-verbal, and has seizures. Jacob’s mother, DeAnna took him to the doctor on December 15, 2003, but Jacob was sent home and his mother was told it was the flu.

Jacob was told to take some medication to help him rest. However, when on December 18, 2003, he was not any better, DeAnna called the doctor, but was told that as long as he was drinking not to bring him back in.

Finally, on December 19, 2003 DeAnna called and said she was on her way with Jacob, to see the doctor. Still Jacob was sent home and DeAnna was told to bring him to the clinic that weekend; that night though, DeAnna brought Jacob to the emergency room. He was almost sent home, but DeAnna requested an x-ray, even though she was told it was definitely not pneumonia. After the x-ray, Jacob was diagnosed pneumonia and admitted.

On December 23, Jacob had a Thoracotomy, and after DeAnna requested, he was monitored in the ICU, due to his Autistim. The next day, Jacob was intubated, put on a ventilator, and sedated. After seven days in ICU, Jacob was started him on Steroids. The staff at the hospital did not give DeAnna and her husband any hope. But Jacob kept fighting.

Jacob was extubated on February 3, 2004. He received physical, occupational and speech therapy. After forty-five days in the ICU, Jacob was moved to a regular room. That day, the nurse told DeAnna that she honestly thought she would have to be calling the family into Jacob’s room to tell them that he was not going to make it.

Jacob remained in the hospital until February 21, 2004.

One year later, DeAnna says that Jacob is back to his old self again! Since December 2004, Jacob has been self-abuse free.

Jacob, his three siblings and parents live in Augusta, GA and are sharing their story believing strongly that Jacob’s ARDS story will give hope to other families who have a sudden ARDS diagnosis. Faith against the odds.

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Joshua Weaver ARDS Family Member Michelle

Michelle rushed her four year old son, Joshua Weaver, to the ER at Huntsville Women and Children's Hospital in Huntsville, Alabama on February 17, 2005, at 3:30 in the morning because he was having trouble breathing.

When they arrived at the ER entrance, Joshua collapsed. He was rushed to the back, immediately bagged and then put on a ventilator at 100%. Joshua was put in a medically induced coma and paralyzed completely.

He was sent to the PICU, and after two days on the vent, Joshua was put on an oscillator at 100%. The Oscillator seemed to be working at first, but his SATs started dropping again the very next day. The doctor then told the family that Joshua had ARDS.

Michelle had never heard of ARDS, but when she saw her son's x-rays, both of his lungs were completely white. Joshua's lungs were basically becoming bricks.

Michelle could not believe all this was happening to her little boy. The day before they went to the ER, Joshua was perfectly fine, except for an acid reflux attack that caused Joshua to aspirate the acid. The acid caused a burn to his lungs, which caused him to develop pneumonia and that led to the ARDS.

Joshua was sent by med-flight to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, to be put on ECMO. Michelle was told to be prepared because he probably wouldn't survive the flight. The flight was 30 minutes, but the drive took two hours.

When they arrived, the PICU doctor came in and said that they decided to put Joshua back on the ventilator and on nitric oxide. At first, this worked. Joshua was next weaned him off of the nitric, but his SATs started falling again, and they turned the nitric back up again. The next day, Michelle was told that Joshua would be put on ECMO as he was deteriorating.

Michelle was told about ECMO, the dangers as well as the benefits. The doctors also let her know that she might have to make the decision about when to pull the plug because this was Joshua's last hope.

During the time that Joshua was on ECMO, he received several blood transfusions and platelets. They pumped him full of steroids as well as antibiotics and insulin. He also had breathing treatments every four hours. His lungs improved very little the first few days, but then started improving more and more until after 7 days, when they were able to remove the machine.

Joshua was still on the vent and receiving breathing treatments but the vent was reduced to 60% and her was gradually weaned only a week after removing the ECMO.

Joshua awoke seventeen days after he arrived at Vanderbilt. He was then transported back to Huntsville Women and Children's Hospital. After another week at Huntsville, Joshua was discharged on the March 23, 2005.

He was able to celebrate his fifth birthday party a little late since his birthday was March 1, 2005. But on March 28, 2005, at his PT and OT appointment, they noticed that his leg was swelling. This was the first day Joshua had walked completely on his own, but he had to go back to the ER. Once there, they found a blood clot from his groin to his ankle.

Joshua was admitted to the hospital and put on blood thinners. Finally, on April 5 , 2005, Joshua was again discharged. As each day passes, Joshua continues to improve. The nurses, doctors, and specialists all call him a miracle. Michelle calls him her hero!

Joshua has suffered from nightmares, even though the doctors and nurses told Michelle that he should not remember any of it. Michelle just says, " I thank God everyday that he let me keep my baby."

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Nathaniel Adamczyk A Beautiful Life cut Too Short, Contact his Mother, Irist

Nathaniel Adamczyk was born in January 2002. He was a happy, vibrant and healthy young boy who loved animals, trucks, and Elmo. He was bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish. He attended Montessori School, where he fed his young appetite for learning. By the time he was just 18 months old, Nathaniel already knew his alphabet, colors, letters, numbers, and shapes – all in two languages.

In April 2004, when Nathaniel was just 2 years old, he developed a fever one Friday morning. He had minor cold symptoms for a couple weeks prior, but nothing that concerned us. The fever however prompted a visit to his pediatrician, who found that his spleen was enlarged indicating that he may have mono. The doctor told his parents to expect him to be feverish and lethargic all weekend, and to come back for a follow-up on Tuesday. At that time, test results would confirm what exactly he had and an appropriate medication would be prescribed.

All weekend, Nathaniel was exactly as his doctor suspected: feverish and lethargic. He sat around watching movies and napping all day long. As the weekend progressed, he seemed more and more uncomfortable, unable to rest, coughing more, etc. Monday, his pediatrician was updated on his condition, but everything was as expected for mono.

That night, Nathaniel had a fitful sleep. He just could not get any rest. At one point, he was having trouble breathing. His family brought him to the local ER, where a team of doctors descended upon him. They soon came back with the report: mono, pneumococcal pneumonia, collapsed left lung, septic shock. Just 3 days after seeing his pediatrician, the diagnosis was ARDS.

Nathaniel was transferred by ambulance to a local pediatric center and was admitted to the ICU. He was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Nathaniel and his family checked in for a long hospital stay.

The first decision was whether or not to intubate. The doctors preferred not to intubate, but rather to have him rest and heal on his own, with heavy doses of antibiotics. But it is difficult to keep a 2 year old still. He was getting agitated, trying to pull at his IV’s and making himself worse in the process. So after nearly 2 days in the ICU, Nathaniel was intubated. The struggling was over, and he lay peacefully asleep while the doctors tried to hurry his lungs towards healing.

But his lungs were not healing. In fact they were getting worse. The right lung by now had also become completely full of fluid. He was developing pneumothoraxes and required two chest tubes. He was switched from a ventilator to an oscillator, but still he was not getting enough oxygen in his blood. The doctors then mentioned “ECMO.”

Nathaniel was on ECMO for nine “roller coaster” days. Some days were good, all the numbers read as they were supposed to but other days were not so good, and the doctors stayed for hours managing medications, ventilator settings, controlling blood pressure or fluid retention. On the 9th day, finally came a ray of hope. Nathaniel's X-ray showed a small patch of air in his bronchial tubes where previously there had been fluid. This was the first sign that he was on his way to recovery but they just had to wait it out.

Then came another down swing in numbers. Doctors filled his room to manage what they thought was a fluid issue. But a nurse checked his pupils and found them dilated, a sign of bleeding in the brain. Nathaniel's family had been told of this risk, since anticoagulants are used extensively with ECMO to prevent clotting in the machinery. But here it was, the worst case scenario.

A few hours later, a cat scan of the brain showed an enormous hemorrhage in the front left 25% of his brain. We had to decide what to do. The choice was painful but clear. This was no longer our Nathaniel. They would have to let him go. Nathaniel died May 10, 2004 at the age of 2 years 3 months and 11 days.

Nathaniel is survived by his mother, Iris Melendez, his father, Hank Adamczyk, and his baby brother, Dylan Adamczyk.

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James H. Graham, the World is a Poorer Place, Family contact, Chris

James H. Graham's ARDS story begins with his birth on February 20, 2005. He was the fifth child and only son born to Chris and Lena Graham.

Lena delivered James at a hospital in Michigan City, Indiana. After his birth, which was four weeks premature, nurses noticed that James's color was sort of an ashen gray, as though he was not breathing properly. James was taken to the nursery and placed in an oxygen tent. Hours passed; tests were run. Finally, the pediatric specialist told his parents that he James may have inhaled some meconium and it was causing difficulty breathing.

James was then transferred to Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana, four hours after his birth. Lena had yet to hold her son and had only seen her baby when Chris was able to hold him for a brief couple of minutes. James only weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces at birth.

When James arrived at Porter Memorial, he was placed in an enclosed crib and given oxygen. after several chest x-rays showed a 'cloud' on his lungs especially the left side. They reassured the family stressing the importance that James had made it the first 12 hours.

This time was especially difficult as Lena could not be with James as she was not yet discharged, and Chris could not be with Lena, and neither could be with their four other children.

On the morning of February 21, 2005, Chris learned that James would stay at the hospital for several days because his lungs were not clearing as quickly as they had hoped.

Chris was able to hold James briefly, but due to tubes and wires, he was not able to hold him as most parents hold their newborns. Chris felt helpless and then ashamed that he felt that way, considering the state that James was in.

On February 23, Lena was going to see James for the first time since his birth. They arrived at the hospital to find James's left lung was clearing up and that he was able to breathe room air the previous evening. He had eaten from a bottle just that morning. .And he was moved to a new bed, called an isolette. All wonderful news and Lena was able to hold James for the first time.

But this happiness was soon broken when the pulmonologist told them that James would need to be transferred to yet another hospital. Chris and Lena were told that though his left lung had cleared by 90%, his right lung was not responding to treatment. The doctor called it 'Lymphangiectasia.'

Lena and Chris again watched helplessly as James was loaded into yet another ambulance and sent to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Over the next two weeks, Chris and Lena were at the hospital every day. At one of the visits, the doctors said that they were concerned with James's lack of progress with his right lung. Risky tests were performed and after, Lena and Chris met with four specialists. James now had a diagnosis: Lymphangiectasia of right lung, absence of right pulmonary artery, absence of inferior venacava , and finally, hypospadius.

Doctors discussed what to look for and how to care for a child with one lung. After three days of preparation, Lena and Chris went to the hospital with the hopes that they would finally be able to bring little James home. And that is just what they did!

Home for about two weeks, everything was wonderful. James had many visitors and then got sick. His viral pneumonia resulted in four more days in the hospital but then, James came home with a breathing machine and treatments three times a day.

On April 8, 2005, James had received his usual evening breathing treatment but later that night, Lena woke Chris and said that she was giving James a special medicated treatment used when James labored a lot of breaths. The treatment seemed to help.

However, after breakfast, James vomited and his eyes rolled up into his head. He turned ash gray and stiffened in Chris's arms. Fear instantly shot through Chris and Lena, and then Chris administered infant CPR to help James breathe.

James was rushed to the emergency room and they were told that James had had RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). James went back to Hope Children's Hospital.

The next few days passed slowly. On April 17, James needed a blood transfusion. The following day, Chris and Lena were told to come to the hospital. They went to James's room immediately upon arriving and though they were used to seeing tubes and wires, they were shocked at the sight of the ventilator. It was more than they were prepared for.

The on call doctor showed them James's latest x-ray compared to the one taken that morning. It looked like the bottom quarter of his lung had disappeared. James had ARDS.

James was on 100% oxygen. Doctors gave him a 50/50 chance that he would survive the weekend.

Lena and Chris did not even have time to understand his ailment. They slept at the hospital that evening and had a meeting with the pulmonologist who said that there were three choices: stop life support, sign a DNR order, and pray. None of these choices sounded good to Lena and Chris and they not stopped praying for James this entire time.

They were informed they could try an experimental treatment but James would have to make it until Monday April, 21, 2005, before they could begin. They were told that it was unlikely James would survive through Saturday.

The ARDS combined with James's one working lung was putting a strain on his heart that could actually be seen. His blood pressure dropped hourly.

Sadly, on April 19, 2005, James passed away from Myocardial insufficiency caused by ARDS.

James H. Graham is loved and missed by all. He is survived by his mother, Lena, father, Chris, and four sisters, Rebecca, Cylest, Courtney, and Charlotte.

ARDS Survivor Mary (Lola) Griggss, contact Michelle

A Miracle Times Two

Mary is the youngest of four daughters, born on May 21, 1999. As the youngest, she was always in a position to have to fight--for time, to be heard, to catch up and to be respected. Mary learned to fight and win the battle of her life in March, 2000, at the age of ten months.

On a Saturday in March, Michelle was helping her three older girls to attend a movie premier with their father. Michelle was curling the girls hair but unfortunately, the baby managed to crawl too close and pull the curling iron down so, burning her leg.

A 2nd degree burn was confirmed by a pediatrician and daily visits to his office became routine that next week. But 5 days after the burn, Mary was sitting up next to the bed and her nostrils were flaring. Michelle took Mary into the doctor, who did a chest x-ray and concluded that Mary had pneumonia. Due to a pulse ox score in the 80’s he hospitalized her immediately.

Mary spent the next 24 hours in Antelope Valley Hospital, taking antibiotics, breathing treatments and some oxygen. She was happy, playful and energetic. Within 24 hours, and after walking up and down the halls with her IV, Mary was ready to go home. Her physician said that if she continued to do that well, he would consider sending her home. The family was elated. Their elation was short lived.

Within hours, Mary took a turn for the worse. Her breathing becoming more and more labored and she was put back on oxygen. Doctors ordered an arterial blood gas testing.

The doctor told the family that the results were not good and that he wanted Mary airlifted and transferred to UCLA as soon as possible. The trauma team from UCLA arrived, Mary was intubated; she was in renal and pulmonary failure.

Mary spent almost 2 weeks in the PICU unit at UCLA in a medicated coma, receiving life support. She had more wires and tubes then Michelle had ever seen outside of an episode of ER. Bacterial and viral panels were negative. Endoscopies were inconclusive. The family was told that she was suffering from ARDS, but not told why it happened. Mary crashed five times. She lost four pounds. She was suffering and Michelle found it too difficult to sit by and watch. She prayed for her baby.

Mary was so critically ill that Michelle called for a priest to administer the last rites. They said good-bye.

The next morning, Mary was still alive and by some miracle, she survived. A few days later, Mary was being weaned from the ventilator and was being prepared to be slowly awakened from her medicated coma. Michelle will never forget how large her eyes looked the first time that she looked up from that bed. She will never forget how the first thing she reached for was the bill of her father's baseball cap. Michelle will always everything about the day she watched her daughter reenter this world for a 2nd time.

Mary came home with Ativan and Methadone. She had a difficult time being weaned from her medication but gradually she weaned from the medications, relearned to walk and gained back the weight.

Today Mary is a loud, dynamic and energetic 7 year old. Michelle says that she is the light of my life. "I love all of my children deeply and differently but Mary has a little 'bit of something extra special.'” Michelle said that maybe this is because she was able to experience her birth twice.

Mary suffered from delayed speech, but she really sounds like most other 7 year olds. She has received speech therapy since the age of 4 and has made remarkable progress.

Mary is a joy to all who know and love her. Michelle wants to share their story with others so that people know when things are at their worst, when it seems all home has faded and is gone, a miracle can happen. Just look at Mary.

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If you would like add your ARDS Kid's story, please email us at . The stories will be edited for length so that we can include as many as possible.

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ARDS Foundation
3100 Dundee Road, Suite 402
Northbrook, IL 60062
PH: 312-749-7047

Eileen Rubin Zacharias, President
Paula Blonski, Vice President

The ARDS Foundation

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