A sinus infection has unexpectedly claimed the life of a 13-year-old boy from Michigan.
Marques Brumley initially only experienced a typical headache and cold when he first visited urgent care back in February with his family. At that time, he was told that his symptoms would naturally clear themselves.
But over the next few days, the eight grader’s health gradually got worse. This time, his family was instructed to buy over-the-counter medication for his migraine pains. As the migraines intensified, so did Brumley’s visits to the emergency room, according to People..
Last week, Brumley’s reportedly lost movement in the left side of his face. This time, doctors took an MRI and found that his sinus infection had spread through his bone and into his blood vessels, making him more prone to blood clots and strokes.
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“He was in a lot of pain, he was crying that his head hurt, and he was still talking to us,” said Nicole Alexander, Marquel’s aunt. “He would ask his mom if they were done with the tests because he just wanted to go home.”
Brumley was immediately transported into surgery, but unfortunately the pressure in his brain became too much as blood clots had began to cut off his oxygen. Brumley later died due to complications from the infection.
“He was a football player, played the trumpet in the band, you couldn’t find flaws with the kid,” said Alexander. “He was really helpful. He loved helping people and always had a smile on his face. His daily goal was to make everybody smile.”
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She continued, “If we can raise awareness so other people don’t go through this, it’s worth it. You don’t expect to lose somebody you care about and love so much from something as simple as a sinus infection. You just don’t.”
Messages of love
People notes that sinus infections can clear up on their own, but on very rare occasions they can spread throughout a patient’s body, to their eyes or brain. This can cause blindness, meningitis, brain abscess, or in Brumley’s case, death.
Alexander said that her family has been consoled by many messages from others who have lost loved ones from similar experiences. They also hope to spread awareness of the serious threat.
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Brumley’s family is currently accepting donations through GoFundMe to cover medical expenses during this very difficult time. It was reported that he has already saved up to seven lives so far through organ donations.