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SALT LAKE CITY — When Tom Parkin's daughter started complaining of back pain after a trip to the pool, he didn't think much of it.
"She said that she pulled a muscle in her back swimming and that grew into a spasm," Parkin said. "After a visit with the pediatrician and an X-ray, he said 'yeah, just give her painkillers.'"
The pain never let up. For two weeks, 12-year-old Diana could not sleep or eat, and she developed concerning breathing issues.
"She started getting a little rash with pimples that were water-filled, very unusual looking," Parkin said.
The family rushed her to urgent care, where doctors determined her condition was so severe, she needed to be flown to Primary Children's Hospital. Further tests revealed she had a deadly infection known as MRSA, which caused an abscess in her back, pneumonia in her lungs, sepsis and respiratory failure.
"They are not sure exactly how it happened, but it likely came through the lungs," Parkin said. "She could have been in contact with somebody with it. It could've been while swimming, it could've been … they're just not sure."
The infection rapidly progressed, and Diana is now kept alive on a ventilator. She has had multiple surgeries, including one where doctors inserted a tube in each lung to drain fluid.
Her family is hopeful she will make a full recovery and is happy to see her spirits are improving.
"I walked into her room, and they were playing 'Eye of the Tiger,'" Parkin said. "There she was moving her head to the beat, the rhythm, mouthing the words."
Parkin said he wished the family would have known what MRSA symptoms looked like earlier. They are hoping others learn from their experience.
"I had no idea; I wish a couple of weeks ago I would have known to look for those signs. I wish we brought her to the emergency room sooner," Parkin said. "If you have a parental intuition that something is wrong, maybe you need to ask for an MRI from your doctor."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA is an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can spread in communities, often in crowded places or on shared equipment. A sign of the bacteria is a bump or infected area on the skin that appears red or swollen, is painful, warm to the touch, full of pus or other drainage and can be accompanied by a fever.
