What began as an ordinary November evening for Christopher Douglas and his family turned into a nightmare in a heartbeat.
The then-14-month-old went to bed happy and healthy, but by morning, his mother, Lisa Keogh, knew something was terribly wrong.
Keogh tried to wake up her son, but he wasn't responding to her voice. His eyes were open, but he was staring right through her, she explained. Initially thinking he might just be sleepy, Keogh’s maternal instincts soon told her otherwise.
She quickly called for an ambulance, which arrived within minutes. Christopher was taken to Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital before being transferred to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
For nine days, Christopher was kept in a medically induced coma, connected to a breathing tube, while doctors performed a battery of tests. Despite their efforts, the cause of his condition remained a mystery. He suffered from multiple seizures daily, sometimes just 30 minutes apart.
“When I go to visit him, he will have at least three seizures,” said Jen Hassall, Christopher’s aunt. “He just stares right through you and clenches his fist. There is no quality of life because he also has swelling on the left side of his brain.”
Christopher’s condition offered a brief glimmer of hope when he was recently taken off sedation and briefly opened his eyes, seemingly aware of those around him. However, his recovery has been fraught with setbacks. He struggles to breathe on his own, has not regained consistent awareness, and the seizures are still frequent, she explained.
Christopher has since been moved to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, where he is relearning basic skills. His progress is slow, but steady.
“There isn’t much movement in the right side of his brain,” Hassall explained. “He’s getting stronger, but he’s still not even able to stand right now. It’s going to take a very long time.”
Doctors have suggested brain surgery as a possible treatment, but cannot proceed until Christopher is at least two years old.
“He was once a healthy boy without anything wrong,” Hassall said. “He was never sick, he was thriving, and then all of a sudden he wasn’t.”
Keogh, a single mother of four, has remained by Christopher’s side throughout his hospitalization. Her other children, aged 17, 14, and 9, are being cared for by extended family.
With no income and mounting expenses, Keogh’s family has leaned on the kindness of their community for support. A GoFundMe campaign has raised over $10,000 to help cover household bills and provide for the family’s needs.
“It’s been extremely difficult,” Hassall said. “It’s been hard for the other children to be without their mom for that long.”
Despite the hardships, the outpouring of support from the community has been a source of strength for the family, she said.
“The community support has been incredible,” Hassall said. “Especially at Christmas time when people were financially strapped, the support has been great.”
As Christopher faces at least two more months in the hospital, his family remains hopeful he'll make a full recovery.
“Just hearing prayers and well wishes is keeping us going,” Hassall said. “It’s nice to know that people care.”
The family continues to wait for answers from genetic testing, praying for a turning point in Christopher’s recovery. They vow to continue providing updates through the GoFundMe page.
