Eleven-month-old Elliot Schultz is in the toughest fight of his young life: a battle against Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV.

“Watched my baby with a tube down his throat for eight days and wasn’t sure if I was ever going to hold him again,” Elliot’s mother Rebecca says. “From the time he got sick, to the time we got here, 36 hours, and he was intubated.”

For eleven days, Elliot has been in the ICU at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital.

Much of that time, he was intubated after contracting a second respiratory virus and pneumonia.

“I think he had five or six episodes where his oxygen would drop that low and he wasn’t breathing,” Schultz recalls. “And his eyes would roll in the back of his head, and it was scary.”

She says the issues began as a cough overnight, that got worse.

After bringing Elliot to the emergency room, doctors diagnosed him with RSV.

He was doing 80 breaths per minute.

Elliot’s two-year-old brother, Grayson was also admitted with breathing problems but was able to go home after two days, Schultz says.

“When you start running into problems is when the child has trouble breathing,” notes Dr. Andrew Kim, a pediatric critical care physician at M Health Fairview. “So, you notice things like they’re using their belly to breathe, much faster than they usually breathe. You’ll probably see some runny nose, some cough, and I think that’s something you see in a lot of children.”  

Elliot’s case is not unique.

“I would say we’re right in the thick of it right now,” says Karen Martin, an epidemiology supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Health. “Last couple of weeks, we’re seeing peak activity.”

The Centers for Disease Control says RSV infects the lungs and breathing passages.

It’s especially dangerous in infants and young children, whose airways are smaller and more sensitive to inflammation.

MDH says of about 164 RSV hospitalizations statewide, 88 are children four and under.

Seventy cases are 65 or older.

“Compared to last season, I’d say it’s getting close to the peak of what we saw last season around this time,” Martin notes.

She says there are new RSV vaccines for pregnant women and seniors 75 years and older, and people who are between 60 and 74 with high-risk conditions.  

There’s also an antibody treatment available for infants.

Dr. Kim recommends that parents keep a close eye on their children’s health during RSV season and see a doctor if they have any questions.

“RSV has been pretty prevalent, it’s something we’ve see a lot,” he explains. “If you really see your child not responsive, not eating at all, if they change colors, where they’re turning blue, come in right away to the hospital.”

The good news for Elliot and his family is that he appears to be improving.

Doctors removed his tubes earlier this week.

Schultz says he is still on high-flow oxygen and is being weaned off pain medicine.

The family hopes he can be moved out of the ICU as soon as Friday and released from the hospital in a couple of days to a week.  

Schultz’s advice?

Focus on cleanliness and keep a close watch on your kids.

“The flu and RSV and everything is so bad this year,” she says. “So wash your hands, make sure you know, and just hug your kids, because you never know what can happen.”

If you’d like to help the Shultz family with their medical expenses, you can CLICK HERE to donate.