Eric Cole Williams is a happy and love-able 18 year old high school senior (A/B student) that’s never met a stranger. He had a brain tumor (see Craniopharyngioma) at age seven, and the surgery damaged his pituitary gland (see panhypopituitarism, and diabetes insipidus) and hypothalamus, leaving him with no thirst (see Adipsia). Although he is mostly “normal”, the lack of pituitary functions makes his medical profile more complex than most, and requires a good deal of medical attention. On Sunday, February 8 Eric had an incredibly sudden and ferocious onset of bilateral pneumococcal pneumonia. Other than his disadvantaged immune system to help fight it off, this episode is not directly related to his medical history. When Carolyn and I checked on him at around 3:00 on Sunday afternoon, he was breathing rapidly, non-responsive, and running a temperature of 104.4. We called an ambulance right away and he was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview. Eric’s condition was critical upon arrival and he went directly from the ER to ICU. Over the next 36 hours Eric was battling for his life (see septic shock, Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)). The critical care physician has since told us that it was one of the most complex cases he had ever dealt with in any patient, and the panhypopituitarism compounded the situation even further. Literally on the brink of catastrophe, the rapid decline leveled out. As of this writing on Saturday Feb 14, Eric is still in critical condition and in the Good Shepherd ICU. The staff has been trying since Tuesday to transport him by chopper to Children’s Hospital in Dallas (where Eric was originally treated at age 7, and where his “regular” medical team is), but no bed has come open. Meanwhile, we are very pleased with every facet of the treatment he has received here in Longview. Over the last few days, the team has neutralized the DIC and multiple organ dysfunction, allowing them to focus on treating the ARDS. Sunday was a miraculous turnaround. He has since been taken off the respirator and may be released fro ICU in a day or two. He will be in Intermediate Care for several days, then in a regular room for a couple of weeks. A full recovery of the respiratory system may take up to a year. The best source for real-time updates is twitter, where I (dad) post there directly from my Blackberry as soon as there is any information to share. Big sister Casi has also created and managed a Facebook site for Eric, and if you are a member you can follow and support him there. Needless to say, we appreciate and cherish the prayers for Eric and our entire family. Please take the time to drop Eric a note here or on Facebook so when he feels better he can participate along with us in this outpouring of love.