Jake
Finkbonner
Ferndale, Washington
In the last seconds of a basketball game,
6-year-old Jake Finkbonner raced down the court, shot a basket,
was pushed
from behind and struck his face against the base of the portable
hoop. It was a life-changing moment, not from the impact
of the fall, but from the Strep A bacteria he was exposed
to at that moment. Jake woke up that night with pain in his
face and flu-like symptoms. Jake’s mom Elsa was alarmed
and sought emergency care. Doctors first thought his case
could be managed at home, but by the next day, when his swollen
face was turning black, it was clear Jake was in trouble.
Necrotizing fasciitis was consuming his face and threatening
his life. He was transported by Airlift Northwest to Children’s
Hospital where, for the next two months, Jake endured emergency
surgeries, daily oxygen treatment, physical therapy and a
series of reconstructive surgeries. The “miracle boy” survived
and returned to school, where his friends welcomed him warmly.
Jake faces major reconstructive surgery in April 2007—one
of many to come. “His journey is really just beginning,” reports
Elsa.
From St. Joseph Hospital (Bellingham, WA)
to Children’s
Hospital & Regional Medical Center (Seattle, WA)
(More
patient and partner stories here)
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