CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Things are going back to normal for a young boy who just returned home after he was diagnosed with a rare life-threatening disease just under a month ago.
Gunnar Woodring, a five-year-old from Bellefonte, fell ill on Jan. 11. His mom, Katie Woodring noticed something was wrong that night. Gunnar was suffering from influenza, and after about six days, he stopped eating and had a high fever. They visited the doctor and had a few things tested, and Tylenol was given, but the high fever stayed. They were sent home, but a bad cough started as well as a rash, and he was struggling to breathe.
“I said, Gunnar, are you having a hard time breathing? And he nodded yes. And I said to my husband, I know we were just discharged, but we need to go back to the emergency room,” Katie said.
The trip back to the emergency room at Mount Nittany would be a critical point in helping save Gunnar’s life. What they didn’t know at the time was that he had a rare life-threatening infection called Bacterial Tracheitis. At Mount Nittany, they were informed by the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital to clear his airways. After a difficult time and a brief stint of cardiac arrest, he was intubated and was going to be life-flighted to Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital.
“Laying there in the stretcher with him, I felt pretty helpless,” Katie said.
At the time, Gunnar’s dad, Dean, went home to pack bags and returned to see his son in a position that no parent wants to see.
“Going into the room. And you see your son, lying on a table, intubated, unconscious. And you want to do everything you can to kind of switch those roles. I would do anything for my children, but knowing that you can’t, you just feel helpless,” Dean said.
As the Life Flight arrived, they immediately began working on Gunnar to stabilize him for the trip. They began doing tests and realized something was wrong.
“Then we started treating him right away. We realized when we were running his vital signs, one of them came back abnormal,” Flight Nurse Tyffanny Cavanaugh said. “We had to stabilize him for transport, and everything we do bedside, we can do in the helicopter. I think my motherly instincts kicked in when treating Gunnar, and we knew getting him to the hospital was critical.”
After an hour and a half of work, Gunnar was stabilized and ready for transport. The entire time, Katie was watching and felt confident watching Cavanaugh help her son. After arrival to Danville, Gunnar was in septic shock and was given antibiotics, and doctors watched his breathing tube.
For the Woodrings, the hospital was like home. The entire week, Katie was exhausted after not sleeping. A nurse came in checked on Gunnar, and gave two thumbs up, helping relieve the Woodrings, and she was able to rest again. With Katie having medical experience as a nurse, her husband Dean was able to ask her questions but said the nurses were so helpful that even those who don’t have a spouse with the training could understand what was going on. Gunnar even noticed his mom in distress and said that everything would be ok and not to worry or be sad.
After six days in the hospital, Gunnar was discharged and ready to go home and see his sister, Avery. As Gunnar’s story is just one of many children across America, doctors are saying their quick actions helped save his life.
“Had they not recognized that this was more than just the flu, more than just a mild viral illness. They knew very early on that this child was quite ill and they did what great parents do: they advocated, and they said there’s something not right, so they saved their child’s life,” Dr. Frank Maffei, Chair of Pediatrics and Chief Pediatric Critical Care said.
Katie has one message for parents who may notice something wrong.
“I think as a parent, you have those gut instincts, and you know your child more than anybody else. And so if you feel like they’re not well, continue to be the best advocate for your own children,” she said.
In Gunnar’s case, there were a lot of moving parts, and doctors say the teamwork between Mount Nittany, Llife Flight, and the Children’s Hospital is why they can save lives daily.
“It takes a village, and this is what we have in Central Pennsylvania. We have great people who are dedicated to saving the lives of children,” Maffei said.
While many who helped bring Gunnar home have not seen him, hearing about his full recovery is relieving.
“Hearing that he’s doing better is a great thing to know that we’re out there, we’re helping people and that, the the purpose of this thing is here for, is serving. Its purpose is doing what it’s supposed to do,” Pilot Scott Slade said.
Gunnar has made a full recovery. Although when getting home, it took some adjusting to do. Katie said he didn’t know where his toys were, and that was heartbreaking. But now he’s running around, wrestling with dad, and living life. Doctor Maffei said there would be no long-term affects from the illness.
