Greenlawn, Long Island Boy Saved From Death's Door
GREENLAWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A 9-year-old Greenlawn boy is alive thanks to a medical team who saved him from organ failure.
Ryan Barnett's teary-eyed father told CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan on Thursday that he was certain he would lose his son during what Ryan described as a painful experience.
"I was throwing up, having diarrhea, it hurt my stomach a lot," he said.
Ryan slipped into a coma and was rushed to the hospital as three physicians fought to keep him alive. Ryan was suffering from sepsis. His body had gone into toxic shock, and his organs were shutting down.
"He came back to us in March as a very sick, very critically ill child and look at him now," said Dr. Peter Silver of Cohen Children's Hospital.
Ryan's illness began as a chain reaction to the flu. His liver responded badly to antibiotics and began to suppress his ability to fight bacteria.
"It was a hard, very hard, scary time," his mother, Kathleen, said.
The Barnetts told CBS 2 that children's emergency rooms are critical for this type of life-and-death situation, which is exactly what Cohen Children's Medical Center has. It is the region's first stand-alone emergency room dedicated exclusively to children.
Ryan's lacrosse team is eager for his return and doctors said that he may be well enough to play as soon as next month.
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