OCRID mentor, Robert C. Welliver Sr. M.D. diagnosed and treated a rare infectious disease – Feb 15, 2018
OKLAHOMA CITY - A Blanchard boy is now fully recovered after contracting a rare infectious disease from a tick. It started when Wade White was climbing a tree last fall. “I think a tick just grabbed onto my head,” 10-year-old Wade said. Wade and his mother, Christina, didn’t think much of it, but days later Wade’s health took a nosedive. “His lymph node was just totally swollen,” Christina White said. The mother took her son to his pediatrician. “I took him over to the pediatrician's office and they just totally disregarded it,” Christina said. For a month, Wade tried different medications, but kept ending up with high fevers, a rash and drowsiness. “This is my active kids that plays basketball, plays baseball, runs fast, plays hard, and it's just not him, so it's just a really scary experience,” Christina said. Christina knew it was time for a second opinion, so she took her son to Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center. Thanks to the Children’s Hospital Foundation, Wade was diagnosed by Dr. Robert Welliver. A series of test results showed Wade had Tularemia, a rare infectious disease. “Tularemia can go on for months actually if you don't treat it,” Welliver said. Wade received treatment in the hospital and the fourth grader is now completely healed, thanks to a thoughtful doctor and a mother who refused to give up.“Sometimes the doctors think it's one thing and then it's something else, and they always look for the obvious, but if you know something's wrong with your child, you know what's best,” Christina said.