Bonnie Jay

It stared out as a normal weekend for 15 year old Bonnie Jay. Friday night was just like any other Friday night in Sweetwater. But Bonnie awoke early Saturday morning feeling severely nauseated. She experienced chronic vomiting throughout the day, and showed no signs of improvement on Sunday. Bonnie’s parents suspected she had Strep throat, as she had been prone to Strep in the past. They took her to the doctor on Monday morning, expecting to get an antibiotic and head home.

But Bonnie’s doctor noticed that some of her symptoms were not typical of Strep throat, and decided to admit her to the hospital. Bonnie and her parents were extremely frightened, and Bonnie’s condition continued to worsen. Her body went into Toxic Shock, and her vital systems began shutting down. She was fighting high fever, climbing heart rate, and falling blood pressure. At one point, her blood pressure dropped to 50/19. Bonnie’s mother was terrified at how quickly Bonnie was weakening, and prayed that it wasn’t too late for the doctors to help her.

The medical staff at Hendrick worked through the day, and long into the night, by Tuesday, Bonnie’s condition had greatly improved. Bonnie’s mother tearfully thanked the Hendrick staff, “Every time I was nervous about a number or a reading, they would immediately check on it…I never felt like we needed out of here, or we needed somewhere better, because they were doing everything.”

Bonnie is once again an active teenager, playing tennis and talking on the phone. Her parents marvel at their lovely daughter, and can’t believe how close they came to losing her. Because of donations from the Children’s Miracle Network, Bonnie and her family received excellent care at Hendrick and were able to stay close to home.