AVONDALE, AZ -- The mother of a 5 year old Avondale boy fighting the swine flu is sharing his story.
"He's been in the hospital for three weeks," Gabriela Griggs said Thursday.
Griggs has gotten to know St. Joseph's Hospital quite well during this time. She says her son Brian's illness started out like the common cold.
"The first symptom was a runny nose," she said.
But after hearing a child in his class had the swine flu and knowing Brian has asthma, she knew she had to be on the look out.
"He had a fever and like every six hours it would come back," Griggs said.
She took Brian to the doctor, but antibiotics and steroids weren't working.
"I knew we were going to have to take him to the hospital," said Griggs.
But what she thought would be just a few days, turned into weeks after Brian took a turn for the worse.
"He was on a ventilator, but that wasn't working so they had to put him on an oscillator."
Griggs teared up as she talked about one point where she thought he wouldn't make it.
But things have changed since that day.
"He's doing much better, getting back to being the happy kid I know," the relieved mom said.
So much better that the family is hoping he will be home for Halloween. Where his 3-year-old sister has a pirate costume waiting for him.
Brian's Mom says if there is one message she wants to send is to get your kids vaccinated so you don't have to go through what they did.
