Fundraisers and prayer requests launched for toddler battling rare disease

A Powell couple is counting their blessings as their youngest child, Scout, continues to recover from a rare disease that presented severe and life-threatening symptoms during the Christmas holiday season.

Their ordeal began just a week before Christmas on Friday, Dec. 19, when mom Shyann Baxter (formerly Wilske) noticed “a few red bumps” on her 1-year-old son Scout’s leg. 

“I thought it could be something like measles or chicken pox, so I took a picture of the bumps, to monitor them for any subtle changes before we went to bed for the night,” said Baxter.

By morning, the changes were far from subtle. Not only had the bumps become larger, they had also spread over little Scout’s entire body. Baxter immediately took the toddler to the nearest emergency room at Powell Valley Healthcare, where the ER team concluded the rash was most likely a reaction to antibiotics the child had been taking for a double ear infection. Baxter and the child were sent home with a treatment plan for an allergic reaction.

The symptoms continued to worsen, despite treatment, with the hives becoming more intense to the point of turning purple. Additionally, the toddler’s hands and feet began to swell to such an extreme he could no longer walk. Baxter reached out to her regular medical provider Dr. Nicole Comer, who met the family at the emergency room in Powell for a second visit. Comer immediately admitted Scout to the hospital for observation and testing, while at the same time consulting with specialists at Billings Clinic and Children’s Hospital of Colorado, Denver, suspecting that Scout was showing symptoms of a rare medical disorder called Kawasaki Disease (KD). Following a day of testing and observation Scout was transferred to Billings Clinic, where Scout battled his symptoms for the next five days, with his mother by his side.

KD is a rare childhood illness causing inflammation of blood vessels, especially coronary arteries. The cause of the disease is unknown; however, it is a known risk factor in boys under 5 years of age, boys 1.5 times more likely than girls to contract the disease. In hindsight, Scout had many of the classic symptoms of the disease: a persistent high fever over several days (that was attributed to an ear infection), a severe rash and swollen hands and feet. Other symptoms sometimes include red cracked lips, red tongue, eye irritation and swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck area.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), around 5,000 children were hospitalized with KD in 2019. Of those children 3,693 were under 5 years old.

Without early diagnosis, potential heart-related complications can result, including inflammation of the coronary arteries, leading to aneurysms, heart muscle inflammation and/or inflammation of the heart lining and, in extreme cases, heart attack. Most children recover with early treatment. Since Scout did receive the proper treatment early, Baxter is optimistic about his prognosis, though she hasn’t discussed it with his medical team yet. Though he continues to recover, Scout is still very sore and bruised from the experience. Baxter noted that she was told he will require monitoring, especially for potential heart related issues linked to the disease.

Since Scout was the only child on his floor in the hospital on Christmas Day, the nurses and other staff set up a Christmas tree with wrapped presents for both Scout and his older brother, 4-year-old Trek, and even made cookies for Santa.

Baxter said she was very touched at the staff’s effort to make Christmas special for the family and appreciates the outpouring of support the family has received from the community in general.

“We appreciate the prayers of complete strangers, the offers of financial and emotional help and even help with our other boy Trek,” said Baxter. “The nurses treated both of our boys so well, especially on Christmas. We had to leave Powell in such a rush that we didn’t have any Christmas presents with us. The whole experience tested and strengthened our trust in the medical system.”

Shyann was raised in Lovell and graduated from Lovell High School in 2013. Her husband, Wayne, graduated from Cody High School in 2005. The couple and their two children live in Powell. Wayne works as a map cartographer for the forest service, and Shyann is a stay-at-home mom.

Though insured, like many, they have a very high deductible and the insurance is expected to pay for only part of the medical costs. A trio of fundraising opportunities have been set up for the family to help with those extraordinary medical expenses. Donations can be made directly to any branch of the First Bank of Wyoming. They can also be sent via Venmo to the Baxter’s account or online to a spotfund.com fundraising account that has been set up under the name HelpSupportThe Baxters or by using the following link: https://www.spotfund.com/story/5153c5e3-02e8-4a34-a62e-c54afb0e74de.