DrengrHundr

     At 6:30 this morning 12/10/2015 while my fiancee and I were heading into town I get a text from my ex-wife telling me to call now! For the last year and a half, my son has been battling  Wegener’s Granulomatosis. According to The National Organization for Rare Disorders, " Wegener's granulomatosis is an uncommon disorder characterized by inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis) that results in damage to various organ systems of the body, most often the respiratory tract and kidneys. Symptoms may include ulcerations of the mucous membranes in the nose with secondary bacterial infection, a persistent runny nose, sinus pain, and chronic middle ear infection (otitis media) potentially resulting in hearing loss. In some cases, kidney abnormalities may progress to kidney failure, a serious complication. If the lungs are affected, a cough, expectoration of blood (hemoptysis), and inflammation of the thin membrane lining the outside of the lungs and the inside of the lung may be present. The exact cause of Wegener's granulomatosis is not known. "

     My son ,Austin, has been in and out of the hospital several times in the last year facing end stage renal failure, and this morning they were preparing to life flight him back to Baptist Hospital in Little Rock, AR when he was coughing blood again. Apparently his lungs were full of blood and they tried to incubate him but could not, so they put the breathing bag on him which forced so much air into his stomach that he emptied the contents of his stomach and lungs. He passed away this morning, a young man of only 19 years; engaged to a wonderful woman that had been with him for 3 years. He is survived by one older sister, one younger sister, and one younger brother. 

     This disease usually affects people between the ages of 40-60, so as far as the doctors know, he is the youngest person to ever have contracted it. What makes it worse is the fact that no one knows what causes it, just that it is genetic, and we don't know which side of the family it may have came from or how far back. I have done my crying and now have an emptiness that will never be filled.