An Ohio mother reflects on her five week old son's life-threatening experience with RSV, a common respiratory virus.
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CLEVELAND – Samantha Schumann holds her son Max close as she reflects on his life-threatening battle with RSV.
He contracted the respiratory virus back in October when he was just five weeks old.
“He started breathing heavily. His eyes got really red. He was really congested. He was coughing.”
His symptoms continued to get worse, and he was eventually admitted to Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
“The smaller you are, the harder you fall unfortunately with these respiratory illnesses,” said John Carl, MD, pediatric pulmonologist for Cleveland Clinic Children’s. “Kids under two to three months tend to be the most severely affected.”
And that was the case for Max. He was intubated for ten days before showing signs of improvement.
“Just seeing him breathe for the first time on his own was amazing,” Samantha recalls.
Dr. Carl said Samantha did the right thing by bringing in her son in as soon as he had issues breathing and encourages other parents to do the same.
Families are urged to use caution during the upcoming holidays as well, not only with small children but the elderly.
Dr. Carl said it’s important to regularly wash your hands and clean surfaces. Masks can also help with prevention.
