MHS grad at Mayo Clinic for mystery illness

His mother’s updates read like a nightmare, because that is what the situation has been. In fact, it is a recurring nightmare.

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Daxton Redfern is back in the hospital, and even the Mayo Clinic physicians do not know what is wrong.

Redfern, a tall, athletic, seemingly healthy college freshman, began his journey into a medical “Twilight Zone” in early summer. That included phrases like “fluid in the lungs” but with no known cause.

A 2020 graduate of Maricopa High School, he had been starting quarterback for the football team and was looking forward to college, despite the COVID-awkward transitions he and his classmates had to make.

But what was thought to be a virus put him in the hospital in July, with fluids building up in his respiratory system and organs starting to fail, alarming parents Mike and Zoe Redfern. Though not nailing down a diagnosis, doctors in Chandler were able to treat him well enough to send him back home to recover. When he received medical clearance, he was off to Northern Arizona University as a scholarship student.

In September, though, the symptoms returned and so did his misery.

Thinking he might have a “stomach bug,” he contacted his primary care physician in Maricopa. She told him he was probably dehydrated and to go in for medical treatment as soon as possible. Redfern’s roommate drove him to the emergency room at Flagstaff Medical Center.

It was Oct. 2.

“He was admitted immediately,” his mom said. “His organs were starting to shut down again, his heart and his lungs.”

‘IS THIS SOMETHING NEW?’

By the next day, doctors were beginning to drain his heart and lungs of fluid and hunting for any signs of a source infection. Zoe Redfern said it was the same condition that struck in the summer.

As an 18-year-old away from home, Daxton was having to make some very adult decisions about his health care. He remained at FMC for 13 days.

Though the drain was removed from his heart, his lungs were still filling with fluid. Medical theories were not panning out. Daxton’s hopes of stabilizing and finishing out the semester faded.

Mom, too, was getting frustrated. She noted on Facebook:

“They put a new drain in his lung through his back, and they will be giving him a medication through this tube to hopefully break up ‘cyst-like’ lesions that are on his lungs. Both of his lungs are partially collapsed and unable to expand because a fibrous wall has grown around them. If all goes well the medication will break all this up and the drain will remove it. If not, he will go into surgery to have it all removed. This is my question… he has been sick since July. This is his 4th hospital visit. Is this something new that was not on his lungs before with all the CT scans and chest X-rays?”

Daxton asked to be admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix when FMC could not solve the medical mystery.

 

‘THEY ARE COMPLETELY BAFFLED’

“They did rounds of testing, everything their resources could do,” Zoe Redfern said of the Flagstaff Medical doctors. “At that point Dax and the family realized they just didn’t have the resources, so Dax went ahead and asked for a transfer.”

It was not automatic, as Mayo Clinic is a private hospital that treats “rare and complex conditions” FMC put together Daxton’s case file and presented it to Mayo Clinic, which accepted him immediately. The nonprofit hospital is regarded as the best in Arizona.

The teams of doctors at both facilities felt the only way to keep their 6-foot-6 patient and his tubes stable on the long journey from Flagstaff to Phoenix was by helicopter Air Evac. Zoe Redfern called it “the most expensive Uber ride ever.”

He has been at Mayo Clinic since Oct. 16. A week into his stay, doctors determined his lungs had a connective tissue disorder, but they still do not know the cause.

“Last Monday, they did another lung surgery,” Zoe Redfern said. “He has an 8-inch scar in his back. They have removed an abscess. They cleaned out his lungs, but it’s not growing any bacteria, which shows there’s no sign of infection. So, they are completely baffled.”

His team of doctors has grown to 18, with even infectious disease experts looking at his case. That means new eyes looking at him this week.

Hospitalized more than a month now, Daxton has long been tired of hospital food. And lying in bed all day, his focus has been his next meal. So, close friends have been sending him meal money through Venmo.

But the situation has been difficult on a larger scale, and the expenses dating back to the summer make a “predicament” that is uncomfortable for the Redferns.

“We’re not really a family to ask for help,” Zoe Redfern said through tears.

To take off some of the financial edge, Maria Johnson, whose son Ilijiah played football with Daxton, started a GoFundMe account with a goal of $5,000. Because some are uncomfortable using a third-party vendor, an account for Daxton was opened at Wells Fargo bank, account #3630357733, for any donations.

“I wanted to do what I could outside the hospital since I can’t even see him because of COVID,” Johnson said.

Johnson and friends have also planned a fundraiser and raffle event Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. at Native Grill & Wings. To participate, provide raffle items or buy tickets, contact Maria Johnson at 602-616-2826.