Father succumbs to sudden illness day after son's birth


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PROVO — In this season of giving, a community has rallied around a Utah County woman who's dealing with immense loss. Her husband suddenly died Friday night, just one day after the birth of their first child.

Josh Robison, 24, was a student at BYU and taught at Lone Peak High School's LDS Seminary. His mother said he was enjoying married life and anticipating the birth of his son.

"He was looking forward to it, but he was really nervous," Jodi Robison, told KSL News Saturday.

Josh spent Thanksgiving with his family in Fillmore. That weekend, he came down with flu-like symptoms.

"Saturday afternoon, he got a headache and started throwing up and was just sick," Jodi said.

On Dec. 6, Josh went to the emergency room, where doctors discovered he had a treatable staph infection.

"It took a few days until they traced that to a valve in his heart," Jodi said.

Doctors performed surgery on her son on Dec. 9 to replace the infected valve, and Josh's recovery seemed promising.

"He was improving, and they were quite pleased," Jodi said.

Josh was even strong enough to be with his wife when their son, Logan, was born at the same hospital on Thursday.

Josh Robinson held his new son, Logan, for a brief time just after Logan was born. Hours later, Josh slipped into unconsciousness and died the next day. (Photo: Jodi Robison)
Josh Robinson held his new son, Logan, for a brief time just after Logan was born. Hours later, Josh slipped into unconsciousness and died the next day. (Photo: Jodi Robison)

But the joys of parenthood were short-lived. A few hours after Logan's birth, Josh got a headache; doctors soon discovered bleeding in his brain.

"When they took him down to the CAT scan, that's when he lost consciousness," Jodi said.

Josh was rushed into surgery but never regained consciousness. He was taken off life support Friday night.

"The prayers and faith, the strength and love of all these people helped us," Jodi said.

While her son was in the hospital, friends started a donation page to raise money for the young family — and donations poured in.

"It's not so overwhelming as it is awe-inspiring and inspirational," Jodi said.

She's also grateful her son was able to hold his son, for the first time — which also ended up being his last.

"It was a miracle," she said.

Doctors don't know how Josh Robison got a staph infection or why he had bleeding in his brain after surgery. His wife, Erica, released a statement Saturday saying she's grateful for the outpouring of support.

If you'd like to help the Robison family financially, you can donate online on a Giveforward page set up for Josh and Erica.


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