Man recovering after getting life-saving treatment at Dallas hospital for bad cough
DALLAS - A 34-year-old man says ignoring a bad cough nearly put him at death's door.
He’s now sharing his story about how a case of bronchitis resulted in a stroke and heart failure.
Parker Pierce was transported to Baylor Scott & White Dallas from a hospital in Tyler after doctors there knew he needed specialized care to save his life.
"The life of a freelancer is you just can power through things and bury yourself into work, and don't really give a second thought," Pierce said.
Working as an animator, Pierce was frustrated by a bad cough about a year ago.
He went to a doctor several times, got antibiotics, and would feel better for a while, but the cough just wasn't going away.
"What was alarming to me is that he'd do a round of antibiotics, and then he'd be like getting better, and then I would talk to him again and he'd be like, ‘Yeah, I can't sleep because I cough too much,’" Pierce’s mother, Paula Pierce recalled. "That shouldn't be happening."
Then his legs became swollen, but Pierce continued to focus on his animations.
"That should have been a warning sign. I should have figured there's something wrong there but would decide, ‘Oh, it'll resolve itself,’" Pierce recalled.
But it did not, and in June, it came close to ending his life.
"I was talking with people in the house one day, and I just remember slamming against the wall and sliding down it, and then asked my girlfriend at the time to call 911," Pierce said.
"They were asking permission to intubate him because his oxygen levels were going down," Pierce’s mother said.
At the hospital in Tyler, Pierce went into heart failure.
"I remember going out to my family and saying, ‘They're saying that we could lose him,’" Pierce’s mother recalled. "We finally got a call that Baylor has accepted his case and I about fell over."
At Baylor Scott & White Dallas, Dr. Alexander Sbrocchi, a cardiothoracic surgeon, said Pierce's situation was grim.
"Breathing tube, still was not moving one side of his body," Dr. Sbrocchi said. "Tough to see someone who is otherwise young and healthy have such a difficult medical issue to deal with."
Featured
Miracle baby defies odds, celebrates 1st birthday amid rare disease battle
Harmony Mullins, a baby from Kentucky diagnosed with a rare peroxisomal disorder, defied odds by celebrating her first birthday in February.
Dr. Sbrocchi explained that the antibiotics did not fully treat Pierce's lung infection, and it ultimately got into his bloodstream.
"The infection sat on the valve and started to eat away at it. That included one more valve, ate a hole in the valve itself," Dr. Sbrocchi explained. "Had to take out his aortic valve because it was so grossly infected, and we were able to repair two of his other valves."
Now, Pierce has a second chance at life.
"It is very rewarding to see someone almost at death's door doing so well," Dr. Sbrocchi said.
"The fact that my hand was paralyzed, and now I have the function back," Pierce said. "My leg was paralyzed…I've now been able to walk, and I'm working on my running."
Dr. Sbrocchi said he hopes Pierce's story will remind people to have a primary care doctor who they can see when they are sick, be transparent about all of their symptoms, and always complete their course of antibiotics. And he credits a big team of nurses, doctors, and physical therapists, who have helped Pierce recover.