Meet Lucy Bruggeman, our 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Champion!
“We were just ruling it out.”
That was the mindset behind running blood work on Ann Bruggeman’s eight-year-old daughter, Lucy. At first, Lucy’s parents thought she’d caught strep throat, or maybe the flu. But as her symptoms progressed to a high fever and an upset stomach over the course of the week, they realized their daughter was dealing with something worse.
Lucy’s pediatrician tested her for something called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C: a rare syndrome associated with COVID. Lucy had it “[Our pediatrician] said, ‘We’ve already called ahead to Kentucky Children’s Hospital, and they have a room for you. You need to go immediately.’”
MIS-C can lead to major inflammation of the organ systems, skin, and brain, and most children with the condition arrive at the hospital in bad shape. When Lucy was admitted, her blood pressure was low and her heart was tachycardic, or beating way too fast. Lucy’s doctors and her parents quickly made the decision to transfer her to Kentucky Children’s Hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
“I was scared to death of an ICU,” said Ann. “I always thought of that as, you know, the last step. Now I realize how blessed we were to be in that ICU. The care was tremendous. Absolutely tremendous.” Lucy’s doctors were able to spring into action because they’ve seen cases of MIS-C before and have a specialized team in place.
“They were phenomenal,” Ann said. “You knew you were in good hands with people who were not only using Lucy’s situation, but the situations from the past year and a half, to treat her the best way possible.”
After several days in the PICU, Lucy’s condition began to improve. Soon she was moved out of the PICU and discharged to recover fully at home. The Bruggeman family is deeply grateful to the medical professionals at Kentucky Children’s Hospital for ensuring their story has a happy, healthy ending.
“It hits me every once in a while, to think where we were two months ago, what could have been, and how thankful we are,” Ann said. “Kevin and I both grew up in Lexington, not far from UK HealthCare. I never had an appreciation for what we have in our backyard.”
Each year, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals partners across the nation choose an ambassador to serve as the face for children treated at their local children’s hospital. This ambassador also advocates for the charitable need of children’s hospitals across North America. As our champion, Lucy will share her story while representing Kentucky Children’s Hospital at various events with donors and throughout the community. If you see Lucy out at a community event, look for the red and yellow CMN Hospitals balloon to see what she is up to.