A TEENAGER’S NEAR DEADLY CARDIAC EVENT BECOMES SERIES OF MIRACLES

Elijah Collins, 16, went into cardiac arrest for unknown reasons

It was a seemingly normal September day for the Collins family. They had gathered for a poolside barbecue — a day of fun and relaxation together. Elijah, 16, to his parents’ knowledge leading up to the day of the incident, was a completely healthy teenager. He was hardly ever sick and never needed medical attention.

But while swimming laps in the pool, Elijah started seizing. He was quickly pulled from the water and continued seizing. Then, he stopped breathing. Elijah’s dad and uncle took turns performing chest compressions until first responders arrived thirteen minutes later. He was rushed to the Loma Linda University Medical Center – Murrieta.

When he arrived at the hospital, Elijah’s mom, Meghan, says it began to seem like Elijah was not going to survive. He had been unresponsive and receiving CPR for nearly 45 minutes. Just minutes before an emergency doctor was about to pronounce Elijah dead, Meghan says one of the nurses prayed out loud for her son. His heart miraculously jolted back into action. He was airlifted to Children’s Hospital in critical condition.

The doctor explained the gravity of the situation to Elijah’s parents. Elijah had gone into full arrest for an undiagnosed cardiac reason, his liver was in shock, and he was in renal failure. His oxygen levels were dangerously low.

“I just remember telling the doctor how scared I was, and he asked if we were believers, which we said we were,” Meghan says. “So he prayed with us, and it’s things like that about Children’s Hospital that we treasure and are so thankful for.”

Because Elijah’s oxygen was so low, doctors started discussing the potential need to place him on ECMO, a machine that adds oxygen to a patient’s blood and pumps it through their body like the heart — and the last resort for life support.

“I just remember telling him that I loved him, and he would shake his head yes,” she says. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to tell him that again.”

Meghan and her husband made the decision to have Elijah placed on ECMO. His room began to be prepped for the procedure. However, the surgeon rushed out to Elijah’s parents to deliver the good news that Elijah’s oxygen had shot up.

Elijah remained ventilated for several days. He was put on dialysis for his kidneys, but he never ended up needing ECMO. Elijah’s progress over almost a month at Children’s Hospital continued to amaze the doctors and nurses caring for him.

Meghan is thankful for the care Elijah received at Children’s Hospital, specifically from the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) team. “They truly walked with us through it all,” she says. “I would tell other parents that with the PICU team, you can count on being surrounded by people who genuinely love and support you and care about your child.”

Months later, Meghan says Elijah is doing well — seemingly back to his normal self. However, the Collins family continues searching for answers about Elijah’s heart. He is still on the road to recovery and will need a lifelong continuance of care.

Despite the trauma, Meghan and her family have remained resilient and positive, seeking hope in the miracles and enjoying the blessing of Elijah’s life.