Becky took Tyler to her family doctor’s walk-in clinic. Her doctor explained Tyler had spontaneous bruising and sent them straight to the Emergency Department (ED) at the Brant Community Healthcare System.

“Cadillac service. That’s exactly what we received,” said Becky. “The Paediatrician met us in the Emergency Department. It was busy, but even the clerks at the front made us feel we were important.”

Becky grew up in a family with a medical background. Her mother is a nurse and her father works in a hospital laboratory. So she knew Tyler was getting special treatment – which, while reassuring, also caused her to worry about what might be wrong that Tyler was garnering such prompt attention.

“It was scary,” said Becky.

Becky was told Tyler’s bruising was idiopathic, meaning there was no clear reason for it. In children, such a reaction usually follows a virus, according to Tyler’s doctors.

Tyler was admitted to the Paediatric Unit for an intravenous treatment to receive immune globulin, part of a person’s blood that prevents bleeding. After that, Tyler received more fluids to address dehydration. His treatment started around 2 a.m. and lasted about eight hours.

During their stay, Becky and Tyler were visited by two hospital volunteers dressed as clowns.

“I was so thankful to Rosebud and Magic Tony,” said Becky, “they came in at the perfect time. Tyler was a little standoffish at first, but they had him laughing in no time. They spent about an hour with us and were a great comfort to us both.”

The nurses in the Paediatric Department also helped the Holmes family with whatever they needed.

“They didn’t downplay anything,” she said, adding the nurses explained Tyler really was quite ill.

As the new day came, the family was told they could go home.

“Before I was leaving the hospital, my family doctor called,” said Becky.

Her doctor wanted to check in on Tyler, who had scheduled an appointment with them the next day, but that afternoon Tyler developed a headache. Becky took Tyler to the family doctor’s walk-in clinic and an on-call physician sent them back to the hospital with a recommendation that Tyler receive a CT scan.

CT scans provide highly detailed images of every region of the body and are most commonly used to examine the brain, chest, abdomen, pelvis and back. This form of imaging is useful to evaluate the body for things such as signs of infection.

During this visit, Tyler was seen by another Paediatrician, Dr. Asim Salim, who Becky said was very good with her son.

“This is when it got really scary though,” she said.

After examining Tyler, Dr. Salim oversaw Tyler’s move to the Diagnostic Imaging Department at the Brantford General.

She was told there was no clear reason for Tyler’s headache, but Dr. Salim was going to get the official report on the scan.

“We were scared because Dr. Salim’s personal attention highlighted the seriousness of Tyler’s condition for us,” said Becky.

Tyler was kept overnight for observation, and the next day Becky was told they could go home again.

A few days later, Becky was told they thought Tyler’s issue was clearing up and he could return to school. Although Tyler was still experiencing some bruising, it wasn’t as severe as it had been when the situation began. Even so, medical staff continued to follow up with Tyler’s case.

“Everyone has been awesome,” said Becky. “It was so scary for us, but the staff was all amazing.”

The crisis has passed, but as the Holmes family knows, when crisis or illness impacts you or a loved one, the Brant Community Healthcare System is here to offer you exceptional healthcare in your time of need.

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