Emergency Care Saves Infant’s Life [Jenny LeBrun]

I am Jenny LeBrun, and I am from Colman, South Dakota, and this is my son, Cru. Cru was born in October of 2022 as part of a set of quadruplets. He was born at 29 weeks and spent 2 months in the NICU. And then I also have a 9-year-old son, a 5-year-old daughter, and a 3-year-old son, along with the quadruplets.

What brought you to the emergency room?

We were literally home for two weeks, and Cru started acting a little bit off, and he stopped eating. So I thought, oh, we just needed some fluid. So I had called the ER in Brookings, and they said, "Yeah, just bring him in, and we'll take a look." Little did I know he was way more sick than I thought. So I brought him into the ER, and they hooked him up to monitors, and he actually stopped breathing. So he had set off all the alarms, like red lights, and the emergency room staff was phenomenal. Everybody came running into the room. They were able to get Cru stabilized, and they called the helicopter from Sioux Falls, and he ended up getting airlifted to Sioux Falls.

But I, without a doubt...like, that day, here I thought my son just needed some fluids, we'll be back home in a couple hours. He ended up spending two weeks in the pediatric intensive care unit in Sioux Falls, but without a doubt, the emergency room staff in Brookings saved his life. Their quick actions, and, like I said, it turned into a nightmare of a day, and they treated me so well, because it was very chaotic. I had never had a child that needed to be airlifted before, and they were so calm with me. They really reassured me that things were going to be all right because I didn't think that was going to happen, and I really attribute Cru's recovery to the emergency room staff here in Brookings.

What was your son's diagnosis?

So Cru ended up having RSV, and last winter was just terrible when it came to RSV. And he had been diagnosed with this prior, so we knew he had the RSV. But his vitals prior to this had been good still, and then when he went downhill, he went downhill very fast, and a lot of that was due to his prematurity, because when this incident happened, it was still prior to my due date. So he technically wasn't even like 40 weeks old gestationally. But, again, I thought, "Oh, fluids, we'll be back home in a couple hours," he just needed some extra fluids, and little did I know that he would stop breathing on the table, and, again, I still to this day really...without the Brookings emergency room staff, I don't think I would have Cru.

How did the ER doctor make you feel comfortable?

Once the doctor had called the helicopter, he was very upfront with, "The helicopter is coming. Your son is stabilized. He does need to get transferred to Sioux Falls. Again, everything is going to be okay." I remember telling him, "I don't think so," and he said, "It will be. He will be fine. He is sick, but we're okay. We've given him the medicine that he needs to be stabilized." They gave him some oxygen, and he really assured me. And his quick actions, I mean, it did not take him any time. Like, he instantly saw that Cru is in distress, like, we need to get him help right now. He didn't hesitate, but he was very calm about everything, and, actually, all of the nurses and everybody else that came in, very nice and calm about it. And even though it was chaotic for me, they were just very calm as could be, and even the people behind the desk, maybe they were nurses, I'm not even sure who they were, they came to me with, like, a glass of water, and they said, "Everything is going to be fine. Your baby is going to be okay." And because by this time, I was pretty upset, because it was scary, I was scared for my son, the helicopter was on the way, and they were so caring, and, again, they saved his life hands down.

How was your son's recovery?

So Cru spent 14 days in the pediatric intensive care unit, and he still goes to regular pulmonology appointments, but for a year now, he's had good reports.

What did you appreciate about the emergency room staff?

What I appreciated the most about Cru's ER visit was just the fast action of the ER staff and getting Cru stabilized almost instantly but then also staying very calm for me and really reassuring me that Cru is going to be fine. And they were right. Cru is fine. He's a thriving 16-month-old baby that's into everything, and you would have no idea that he was on the brink of death.

Why do you recommend Brookings Health System?

So I would recommend Brookings Healthcare System because the personable care, and I really feel that the staff here really get to know you as a person and really get to know your family, and they truly do care about the well-being of their patients.

Why did you choose Brookings Health System?

We do live about...right in the middle of Sioux Falls and Brookings. We just really like... Brookings is very personable, and you get in and out. We're not sitting in the waiting room. The care is very quick, because I've brought other kids to the emergency room, and it's always been, okay, we give them medicine or treat whatever is wrong, and then we're on our way, where other places sometimes you're waiting a lot longer to be seen.

Why was it important to have emergency care close to home?

So having a healthcare facility so close to us is very important because sometimes we can't wait and we need to be seen right away, and in Cru's case, basically, I walked right into the ER, and they saw him almost instantly. I didn't have to wait. I really think it's important for people to know that, even though Brookings is a smaller healthcare system, the service is wonderful, and they're able to stabilize patients as needed. It's really important, and especially for people that live in a rural area, having a healthcare system like Brookings is very crucial.

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