I was away on training for my job. During the early morning, I received a message from a co-worker telling me I had to call a friend as soon as possible regarding my son. I called him right away. He told me to call the hospital right away. He said my son was seriously sick. I felt sick to my stomach with fear. I called the hospital and talked to my wife. She told what had happened. She had been taking a shower when she heard our son fall to the floor from the couch. She immediately picked him up and helped him back on the couch. She went to work when the babysitter arrived and after she told him to keep an eye on him because he had fell.

When she came back for lunch, he was still on the couch almost in the same position. She woke him up. He didn’t want to be moved due to uncomfortable pain on his left side. She went back to work but told the sitter to call her if he gets any worse. Our daughter found my wife at the Health Clinic and told her that Kirk was crying from pain. She went home with one of the nurses and went to see Kirk.

He was in quite some pain and they quickly got him ready to take him in to meet an ambulance then to the hospital. He was at the hospital where he underwent some test, X-rays and blood work. That night, he developed a fever which progressively got worse. When the doctors couldn’t find out what was wrong with him, they wanted to send him to the Winnipeg hospital right away.

When I heard pain, serious, doctors not knowing what was wrong and that he couldn’t move, I felt scared and lost. My co-workers stayed with me until I had some breakfast and coffee. I left for Kenora even though my wife told me to stay and wait for her message. I couldn’t stay still without going nuts. I met an ambulance heading west near Kenora. I thought it was my child being transported to Winnipeg. I phoned the hospital from the nearest payphone. My wife was still there. She informed that they will be taking Kirk to the Health Sciences Center in Winnipeg. I turned around immediately and headed straight to Winnipeg.

When I seen my son in the stretcher and in his condition, it was hard to keep it together so that I wouldn’t scare him with my fears. The first thing he asked me was if he was going to be in the wheel chair from now on. The pain he went through from all the tests and probing from the doctors was unbearable to see. Sometimes, I just wanted to yell at the doctors to stop but I knew they had to find out what was wrong with him as soon as possible.

The first night was a nightmare. I spent the entire night cursing God, the Spirits and asking forgiveness and praying for my son to be well. Trying to bargain with God; if he makes my son well that I will become Christian and spread the word. Then I would curse his name again. It was a long restless, sleepless night, filled with fear, anger, prayers and tears. I was beginning to hate myself for not being there for him.

The next morning, Dr. DeGroot put him on some different antibiotics. Again, he underwent some more tests and further probing from other Specialists but he was sedated from Morphine and Tylenol. Even with that, he felt the pain from the tests and the probing.

It wasn’t until the following day that they confirmed their diagnosis. My son had Necrotizing Fasciitis, the flesh eating disease. It was hard to believe. Why my son?? I felt such fear and felt my eyes become filled. I had to walk away. I saw my nephew and told him what the doctors had said. I was able to contain myself enough to go back into the room. The doctor further explained that they believed that they had caught it early enough. They would be checking his infected area so that it doesn’t spread. They said that he was on the right medication. They had him on an antibiotic to kill the bacteria and another antibiotic to stop it from spreading. I believe that they suspected that to have put him on that medication the day before.

The progress that Kirk made was the most uplifting to witness. It was small things. Moving on his own with the pain and eating food. When the 38 hour watch was over with his area not to spread was a relief. They were ready to operate if it had spread any further than it was. When there was some visible progress, they shipped him back to Kenora Hospital where he had to be on IV for 14 more days. He was able to get on a wheel chair, eat and move without too much pain.

When he reached Kenora, it seemed almost like he had returned to his original state. It was disheartening. He was put in isolation. There wasn’t that much help from the staff as there was in Winnipeg. My wife did most of the work for my son. My wife talked to the staff the first night with her concerns. The next day, he was out of isolation and the staff were very helpful. My son’s spirits were better when he was visited from his friends from back home. It appeared to encourage him to try and move a bit more. His blood work was getting better.

My son has been at home for a week now. He is doing some walking without any support but with a very visible limp. He gets visits from his friends and I enjoy hearing his laughs. I hear him and my wife have their battle of wills. I don’t want to become involved but rather I am glad to hear and witness that again. My wife is very conscious of being very clean. She does her best in keeping the house clean, laundry done and keeping Kirk clean. Kirk is the primary concern right now.

We received a lot of support from people. Our respective co-workers, work places and friends have extended tremendous support. I was granted leave with pay for 2 weeks. My wife’s co-workers took up a collection and sent money to help with our expenses in Winnipeg and Kenora. Many people sent their wishes and their prayers for Kirk. I still receive phone calls from people who ask how Kirk is doing and how the family is doing. That is encouraging to know that people care and think about Kirk and my family.

I wish I could say things are going back to normal but it is not. Although I see Kirk make many progresses, I am scared to see him hurt himself. When I see him walk, I am happy but I also cringe at the same time. What if he falls and hurts himself? What if he gets some other bacteria? My fears will take a long time to subside. Seeing my son in that serious condition has etched that fear deep into me. I try not to show it to people but it burns deep in my guts. I feel like I am walking on eggshells. At the same time, I like hearing him laugh with his friends, tease and have a battle of wills with my wife. I treasure those. That fear makes me appreciate the little things around the home a lot more. My son is not 100% but he is progressing. I have skimmed through most of the story, especially with my personal fears, thoughts and personal anguish with myself. Kirk’s illness was probably the most traumatic experience I have had to face. I still can’t talk about it without feeling a large lump in my throat.