Marco’s mother Jenifer said she was doing yardwork at the family’s home in early May while Marco was outside with her in his stroller. At first, Jenifer said there were no signs that Marco was feeling sick, but a few days later Marcos came down with a high fever and Jenifer knew he needed help immediately.
“May 6th it happened then on May 9th I went to the public hospital,” she said. There, doctors quickly determined that Marco was bitten by a venomous spider. Marco’s leg, where he was bitten, was rapidly growing redder and more swollen.
Marco initially received medication and oxygen, but his lungs and kidneys were starting to fail because of the spider’s poison, according to his mother. The hospital in Monterrey took him into surgery and removed tissue from his leg. But the doctors at the hospital knew there was nothing else they could do to help Marco and worked to transfer his care to Shriners Children's, where he could get the best specialized care.
“I got a phone call from the university hospital saying they were willing to help and to transfer him here, since there was nothing else they could do for him back home,” Jenifer said. “The doctor referred his care to Shriners Children’s Texas.”
He informed me that they needed $35,000 to ensure a baby could be airlifted from Mexico to Galveston. I told him to make it happen, and Nile would pay the expense.
Thanks to the Nile Shriners of Seattle, Washington, his travel was funded. They jumped into action as soon as they heard of Marco’s emergency.
“I was at the Ladies Oriental Shrine of North America’s Grand Sessions event with Imperial Sir Ed Stolze. During the event, he received a phone call and excused himself. After he returned to the table, he asked me how much money we had available in our travel fund,” Dale Newman, Nile Shriners Potentate, said. “He informed me that they needed $35,000 to ensure a baby could be airlifted from Mexico to Galveston. I told him to make it happen, and Nile would pay the expense.”
Marco underwent multiple surgeries and rehabilitation at Shriners. Jenifer said it becomes more and more obvious every day that Marco is feeling better and returning to his old self.
“Before the accident, he used to be really playful and hyperactive, but right after the accident he was really quiet and hardly moved. But, lately I’ve seen a lot of progress that he’s going back to what the baseline was,” she said.
Marco and his mom, Jennifer.
Marco is from the city of Monterrey in Mexico, which is about 500 miles from Galveston.
Marco was possibly bitten by a brown recluse spider, which is also called a violin spider. This name comes from the violin-shaped pattern on its head.
