Help the Townsend family to breathe easier

There is a phrase no parent ever wants to hear: Your child needs to be life flighted to the hospital. This phrase is now part of Charlee and Taaron Townsend’s world, as their two-year-old son Rowan was rushed by helicopter from the hospital he had been treated at for just over 24 hours to a children’s ICU in another city.

 

The story begins with a virus—a common virus—that affected the Townsend’s entire family. Rowan’s fraternal twin, Forest, was the first to show symptoms of fever, sore throat, congestion, coughing, and vomiting. When Forest’s symptoms became severe, his father took him to see a pediatrician who advised that it would take a few days for the virus to run its course. Two days later, Forest’s fever remained high. He also had difficulty breathing, wouldn’t eat or drink, was extremely lethargic, and no longer produced tears when he cried. He was rushed to the ER where he tested positive for human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and bacterial pneumonia related to the virus. He received IV antibiotics and oxygen supplementation via nasal cannula. Slowly, his symptoms improved. On March 28, his fourth evening at the hospital, he was released to go home, but still needed to receive oxygen supplementation to support his O2 levels.

 

On March 26, the day after Forest was admitted to the hospital, Rowan was seen by a pediatrician. He had the same symptoms of the virus. Chest x-rays indicated that he did not have pneumonia. The pediatrician cautioned his family to watch his symptoms carefully. Two days later, Rowan’s symptoms worsened and he was taken to the ER at the same hospital where his brother was about to be released. He received albuterol treatments in the ER, then was admitted to the hospital. The twins had separate rooms, but were able to be in the same bed for a few hours. Forest was improving, to the point that he wanted to play with the brightly colored toy attached to the side rail of the bed, but he couldn’t understand why his adventurous twin brother was too ill to play with him.

 

Forest was released to go home, and Rowan’s health seemed stable during the night. Doctor’s were hopeful that Rowan would be able to go home the next day. Unfortunately, on March 29, despite IV antibiotics and oxygen supplementation via nasal cannula, Rowan’s oxygen levels dropped dramatically and his breathing was so labored it seemed his ribs would be crushed. His doctors feared he might need to be intubated.

 

That evening, Rowan was life flighted to a children’s ICU where he could receive specialized pediatric treatment. The experience was terrifying for the two-year-old, as well as his father, who had to stand in the background listening to his son’s cries of “daddy” as the flight team prepped his son and loaded him onto the helicopter. At home, Rowan’s mother’s heart raced as she waited for the children’s uncle to drive to their home from over an hour away to stay with Forest and his sister Tru. Once the uncle arrived, Charlee raced 30 miles through the dark to a hospital she had never been to before.

 

The medical team at the children’s ICU confirmed that the virus had rapidly progressed to severe, life-threatening pneumonia. Rowan was lightly sedated to ease his discomfort and to soothe his panic over all that was going on. He continued to receive IV antibiotics along with 100% oxygen through a reservoir mask. Fortunately, he did not need to be intubated.

 

The morning of March 31, Rowan’s condition improved enough that he no longer needed oxygen via the reservoir mask and instead is receiving oxygen via nasal cannula. At the time of this writing, he is being moved from PICU to a regular hospital room. His family is hopeful that he will be able to go home during the weekend.

 

The twins’ big sister, age seven, also has the virus. It is hoped that, due to her age, she won’t have the severe problems that her little brothers are having. Charlee and Taaron have also been extremely ill the entire time, swapping places with each other at home and at the hospital so that one of them is always with their children.

 

Needless to say, a medical crisis like this is devastating physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. The family has insurance through an employer that will cover a portion of the hospital expenses. The expenses for the Life Flight will be immense, as insurance will only cover a small portion of the cost. You can imagine that these costs along with additional costs from lost wages, travel, food, and other care needs will pile up quickly and overwhelmingly.

 

If you have the ability to support the Townsend family with a few dollars donated through GoFundMe or the family’s Venmo account, we will be forever grateful. If you believe in the power of prayer and positive thinking, we ask that you join us in sending prayers and positive thoughts that Rowan will heal quickly and be able to return home to his brother and sister soon, prayers that Forest’s health will continue to improve, prayers that the rest of the family heals quickly, and prayers that the twins won’t have lingering effects from their life-threatening bouts of pneumonia.

 

Thank you for reading Forest and Rowan’s story. We appreciate any help you can offer, no matter how big or small. If possible, please share our campaign link on social media with your family and friends. Thank you so much for your donations, shares, and prayers. Together, we can help Charlee, Taaron, and their family breathe easier through this difficult time.

 

RaeJean Spencer Hasenoehrl

Mom and Grandma to this amazing family

 

Venmo Account: @thehoneyandthewaffle