Will and Laura Kline of Tupelo are especially grateful this Thanksgiving season after a recent scare with their infant son, Sam.

In mid-October, Sam’s 18-month-old sister, Ruth, was diagnosed with flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and, unfortunately, their whole family got sick.

Because Sam was only 4 weeks old, Laura took him to see pediatrician Dr. Amy Price at Children’s Clinic when he developed a little cough. After diagnosing Sam with RSV, Dr. Price instructed Laura to bring him back the next day for a re-check. For most children, RSV causes a few days of fever, runny nose and cough. But for some, it can be life-threatening.

By then, Sam’s breathing had become a little labored, but nothing that alarmed his parents. “I felt like she was going to say he was okay,” says Laura, who was surprised when instead Dr. Price sent them directly to North Mississippi Medical Center. “She said it would be better for them to watch him in the hospital to be sure. I can’t tell you how much now I appreciate her doing that because I would not have known what to look for. Sam got really bad, really fast.”

After being admitted to NMMC’s Pediatrics Unit, Sam was put on supplemental oxygen and examined by pediatric intensivist Dr. Claudine Brown. “She was awesome. She was very calm; I was not,” Laura says. “She explained everything that was happening very clearly to us.

She told us that RSV is like a roller coaster ride. She prepared us for the ups and downs but assured us that we came to the hospital at the right time.”

It didn’t take long for the roller coaster to plunge. The next day, Sam took a turn for the worse and was moved to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. There, pediatric intensivist Dr. Lisa-Gaye Thomas-Messado managed his care. As his breathing became more and more labored, Sam was placed on the highest level of oxygen possible for a baby his size.

“Dr. Thomas and the staff are the cream of the crop,” Laura says. “When we were being sent to the PICU, I asked a doctor friend if we should instead request to be sent to a children’s hospital. She told me, ‘the care you would get there is the same care you will get here.’ And she was right. They take care of these babies like they’re their own, but they also take care of the families. Dr. Thomas is brilliant and so kind, and I feel like we got the best care in the entire world.”

Sam spent five days in the PICU. “They watched this mean little virus attack his lungs,” Laura says, “and Dr. Thomas and her staff stayed one step ahead of it. We are so grateful.”

Once Sam was well enough, he was transferred back to the Pediatrics Unit for two more days while they weaned him off the supplemental oxygen. He was discharged home on Halloween afternoon (pictured).

“I was sad to leave,” Laura admits. “I wanted to take Dr. Thomas and all of Sam’s nurses and respiratory therapists home with us. They became like family in six short days. And those are the kind of people you want taking care of your babies.”

In addition to Drs. Brown and Thomas, Sam was cared for by nurses Richelle Vick, Rob Stone, Holly Parker and Amanda Bilbo, and respiratory therapist Angie Coggin.