Parents Josh Roberts and Katelyn Galea thought their son, Archie, was ill with an ear infection. The five-month-old was slightly fussy, but exhibited no other symptoms.
It was barely a few days later, however, when Archie’s lips turned grey and a rash blossomed across his chest.
That was when Roberts and Galea knew – something was drastically wrong.
They rushed their son to the hospital where doctors ran emergency tests on him.
Archie was diagnosed with a fatal strain of meningococcal disease, a bacterial infection that attacks the membrane of the brain.
For several days, Roberts and Galea weren’t certain that their son would survive the fight against this infection.
He had to have tubes inserted into his mouth, an IV drip in his wrist, and electrodes attached to his body during the recovery process.
Now, doctors are confident that Archie will recover – but there’s still the chance that he might lose a few of his fingertips that have been too badly ravaged by the disease.
Roberts is simply relieved to know that his son will be able to survive. Doctors have told the parents that Archie is slated to have a six-week recovery, so Roberts is looking forward to the holidays. “It’s [Archie’s] first Christmas, so it would be great to be home for Christmas,” he explained.
A friend of the family has set up a GoFundMe account to help cover Archie’s medical bills – particularly since neither parent has gone to work for several weeks, so they can stay at their son’s side in the hospital.
They’ve far exceeded their $5,000 goal, but please feel free to donate more if you can. All excess funds will go toward a children’s charity for the holidays.
