A 4-year-old Oklahoma boy is reportedly recovering from a rare medical condition that left him near death while vacationing in Mexico with his family — which faces hospital bills of up to $8,000 a day for his treatment.
Griffin Brothers of Tulsa and his parents all came down with a stomach bug that unexpectedly turned serious for the youngster, local TV station KTUL-TV reported.
"We had recorded a video saying hello to the grandparents and he was very lethargic," father Andrew Jones-Brothers said. "And I hadn't really realized it because I think we had been with him but my mother called me very upset and she said, 'He looks yellow. There's something wrong with him. Please take him back to the doctor.'"
At a local hospital, Griffin began suffering kidney failure and related complications, prompting an emergency transfer to a pediatric hospital in Guadalajara, according to an message posted Aug. 8 on the GoFundMe website.
There, a doctor told his parents, "When you brought him to us he was extremely near death," Jones-Brothers said.
The boy was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, KTUL said.
The rare condition usually affects children under 10 after a digestive tract infection that's caused by a type of E. coli bacteria found in raw milk, unwashed raw fruits and vegetables, contaminated juice and undercooked meat, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website.
Nothing can stop the syndrome from progressing but treatments include medications, intravenous fluids and a feeding tube, blood transfusions and kidney dialysis.
Griffin has received multiple dialysis treatments and the doctors treating him "are saying it's miraculous how far he's come," Jones-Brothers said.
The most recent update on his GoFundMe page, posted Aug. 14, said Griffin had been moved out of the pediatric intensive care unit and "his numbers are continuing to show improvement every day."
Jones-Brothers said it was unclear how much longer he'd have to remain hospitalized.
Griffin's doctor also said he should remain in the area for daily blood tests after he's discharged, according to the GoFundMe update.