MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Walker Wolf is just 8 weeks old, and he's currently in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children's Wisconsin. He's on a ventilator, battling Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV).
“His symptoms escalated so quickly,” said Natasha Wolf, Walker’s mom. “He was having a lot of chest retractions and you could see he was struggling to breathe. We took him to the emergency room in Sheboygan, and they rushed him by ambulance to Children’s Wisconsin.”
Natasha says she and Walker, along with her two-year-old son, all tested positive for RSV last week. Initial symptoms were a cough and runny nose. At just two months old, Walker had a hard time fighting it.
“I’ve been trying to be strong, but on Saturday, I completely broke down,” said Natasha. “Walker stopped breathing. His heart rate dropped dramatically. His right lung had collapsed from all the mucus build-up.”
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“It makes me sad to say this, but I told her it’s time to get on your knees and pray for our baby,” said Natasha’s stepmom, Julie. “Luckily, Walker has gradually started to make little improvements. He’s a fighter.”
Doctors say RSV is especially difficult to handle, because symptoms can linger for more than a month. They do expect Walker to make a full recovery.
“Our goal is to have him home and be together as a family by Christmas,” said Natasha.
Natasha has spent the past seven days with Walker in intensive care. She has three other children back home in Kiel. Her husband, Shaun, has been going to work, checking on the children, then making the 150-mile drive to Children’s Wisconsin nearly every day.
That's why GoFundMe was created. Walker's grandparents started the fundraiser to help Natasha and Shaun pay for gas and meals.
“I am beyond grateful for all the people who are either sending prayers or donations during our time here,” said Natasha. “It’s mind-blowing to us how many people are willing to help in circumstances like this.”
If you'd like to donate to the GoFundMe,click here.
