Three years later: A PICU story of recovery, resilience, and love

In the fall of 2022, parents Brittany and Donovan Hall were celebrating their son Stetson’s first birthday surrounded by family and friends.

“It was a beautiful day,” Brittany recalled. “Stetson was in a good mood, enjoying the day, and he was especially excited to eat his cake.”

Stetson’s Medical Emergency

However, what was meant to be a joyful milestone quickly became every parent’s worst nightmare. Stetson experienced a medical emergency that left him in critical condition and landed him in a nearby hospital.

His condition worsened, and after suffering a cardiac arrest and being intubated, he was transferred to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital’s (LLUCH) Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

“Things were happening so fast,” Brittany describes. “His condition was spiraling. I felt hopeless.”

His Stay in the PICU

Upon Stetson’s arrival, his care team — including Jui Shah, MD, pediatric critical care specialist — realized he had suffered a brain injury.

“His likelihood of survival was pretty high,” Shah said. “But we were unsure how much of his brain would recover and what his life would look like.”

Shah explains that Stetson began experiencing neurostorming episodes. During these episodes, his body would tense, his heart rate would rise, and his breathing would become irregular.

“It was very scary because, on imaging, everything looked okay,” Shah said. “But we still didn’t understand the extent of his injury.”

Over the next several days, Stetson remained in the PICU as his parents held onto hope for a miracle.

After a few days, he was extubated and able to breathe on his own. However, his parents noticed changes.

He was no longer able to sit up on his own, track objects with his eyes, or talk, crawl, and do all the things he had been able to do before his birthday.

Despite this, his parents remained hopeful. They were constantly at his bedside, participated in daily rounds, and stayed involved in his care.

“I’d never seen parents so involved in their child’s care,” Shah recalled. “Brittany and Donovan were very engaged and always knew what was going on with Stetson.”

Eventually, his condition improved, and he was transferred out of the PICU to the acute care team.

Though he was improving, his future remained uncertain.

“The doctors explained that he could be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life,” Brittany said. “There was a possibility that he would never walk, talk, or eat again.”

Today

Three years later, Stetson is a happy, outgoing 4-year-old who loves to play outside, sing while strumming his guitar, and, most of all, spend time with his family.

In the years following his medical emergency, Stetson was diagnosed with global developmental delay, hypotonic cerebral palsy, and cortical vision impairment.

In spite of these challenges, he has made significant progress. His mother credits much of his improvement to his participation in occupational, physical, speech, and equestrian therapies.

“Stetson has come a long way,” Brittany said. “He loves his life and is able to enjoy the little things that some other kids might take for granted.”

While reflecting on their time at Children’s Hospital is still difficult, Brittany is incredibly grateful for the care Stetson received.

“If it weren’t for the Children’s Hospital care team, I don’t know where Stetson would be today,” she said.

In February of this year, Stetson and his parents returned to LLUCH to visit the PICU staff who saved his life more than three years ago.

Although Shah was not present during their visit, she later saw photos of Stetson and was amazed by his recovery.

“This is the beautiful thing about working with children,” Shah said. “Their ability to recover and heal is remarkable.”

Stetson’s journey is a powerful story of resilience — and a reminder of how medicine and family love can transform a child’s life. 

Interested in learning more about pediatric care at LLUCH?  Visit lluch.org.