Sunshine and Brian Donoway

Sunshine Donoway was at work when she received troubling news. Her six-year-old son, Brian, had never made it to school that morning.

"He started vomiting on the school bus, and the driver brought him back. It was so sudden, we thought it was a stomach bug — but it kept getting worse. He couldn't keep down food or water, and he was getting feverish. We were at a loss."

Increasingly worried, Sunshine took her son to Hunter's Creek ER. After the initial diagnostics came up inconclusive, the ER team performed an ultrasound. It was the right move: Brian's appendix was infected, surrounded by fluid and air, and beginning to dilate. Acting quickly, the staff at Hunter's Creek ER transferred Brian to Osceola Hospital for an emergency appendectomy.

As scary as the situation was, Sunshine says she's thankful for the compassion and tireless effort of Brian's care team.

"Brian was so scared, because he didn't understand what was happening. As a mom, that's heartbreaking. But everyone from the registration staff to the pediatric specialists were absolutely wonderful. We had doctors and nurses staying with him around the clock — more than 24 hours — to make sure everything was okay."

Two days later, Brian was able to go back home. After some follow-up visits to the doctor, he's on his way to a full recovery.

"Brian is back at school, playing soccer, drawing pictures," Sunshine said. "It is such a relief to see him happy and healthy again."