Story
Name
Kallen Jorgenson
Injury/Illness
Down Syndrome
Surviving septic shock is rare; surviving septic shock and having Down Syndrome is one in a million. Our son Kallen has beat the odds of survival yet continues to face the unknown with amputations to his hands and feet, a trach for breathing, a g-j tube for eating, and continual risk for infections.
On June 20, 2017 our lives were changed forever when Kallen suddenly came down with a fever as we were traveling. We stopped at an Urgent Care Clinic yet they sent us home saying it was “just a bug going around”. We thought it was just the stomach flu. The next day his fever soared to 105 and continued to throw up. When he no longer could walk and seemed to have lost circulation to his hands and feet along with having purple blotches on his skin, it was time to bring him to ER in our small town of Thief River Falls, MN. We thought he was dehydrated so they gave him IV fluids and do some lab work. After an hour of waiting, suddenly our world began spinning and we were soon airlifted to Fargo, ND when they found he had cardiac issues and sepsis. I was able to fly with him, Nathan and the kids drove. Upon arrival, Kallen’s body began shutting down and I was given the prognosis that this may not have a good outcome (in other words we may lose him). All I could think of to do was pray and get on Facebook to ask for prayers!
Kallen survived by God’s grace, yet suffered renal failure, liver failure, DIC, loss of circulation to hands and feet, and needed his infected heart valve replaced which kept re-seeding and spreading a staph infection in his body. Mayo said they would do his heart surgery if he would stabilize for the flight. A week later, Kallen was still holding on and seemed stable enough for a flight.
Again, upon arrival the outcome looked grim. He cried yellow tears from liver failure; his hands and feet were weeping drainage and deteriorating flesh from loss of circulation; his fever was returning from being off of dialysis during the flight. Doctors from all specialties visited his room and thought his prognosis of surviving heart surgery would be slim. Yet he had a surgeon who wanted to try which we were grateful since Kallen had been trying to survive for a week already.
Survive he did, as well as surviving his amputation surgery, tracheotomy, g & j tube placement surgeries, and numerous other battles such as HLH, peritonitis, blood clots, sepsis of PICC lines, aspiration pneumonia, etc, etc, during a 20 month hospitalization!
We have now since moved to Rochester, MN to be closer to medical care and receive home health for Kallen. He loves life and continues to battle multiple infections with in and out hospitalizations. Our hope is for him to press on and to be able to share his story of perseverance. His joy is contagious and smile is infectious! Kallen is an inspiration to never give up on life no matter what your diagnosis or prognosis may be!