JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — He was an athlete and star performer, but late last month, 12-year-old Brian Henderson's passion for baseball had to take a backseat for something else that became a new priority.
"His heart rate was very low," his mom Alanda Henderson told First Coast News. "His blood pressure was very, very low and his oxygen was very low."
She says what started out as a stomachache quickly progressed to swollen eyes, loss of appetite and bloodshot eyes. It was at Wolfson Children's Hospital that Brian received a COVID-19 diagnosis.
"We go from this healthy, active kid that smiles all the time to a kid that is limited to what her can do right now," she described.
During his seven-day hospital stay at Wolfson, Alanda found herself thinking about the what-ifs. According to the hospital, two children died there while Brian was also a patient.
"That was my worst fear. That, 'Oh my God' he is going to be next,'" she said.
She and her family were initially hesitant to get the vaccine despite reports from the CDC which shows African Americans are nearly three times likely to become hospitalized with COVID and two times more likely to die.
Alanda is sharing Brian's story to educate others.
"I wish I had seen this story before," Alanda said. "Prior to my case, it might have changed my mind about vaccination when he first turned 12."
Brian also had the MIS-C illness, or 'multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children,' leaving his with an inflamed heart.
Alanda says her family will now be getting the vaccine and urges you to do the same to possibly prevent others from ending up with a broken heart.