We will miss you Spencer

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Katie called me really worried about Spencer today.  Apparently he has been really sick, throwing up, diarrhea, weak and fevered.  She kept thinking he just had the flu and it was going to start getting better, but he seemed to be getting worse, and she was wondering if she should take him in. I told her it couldn't hurt, so she did.  The doctor only checked to see if he was dehydrated and then sent her home and said it was just a flu without even checking his vitals. 

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

The next morning Spencer couldn't even get himself out of bed and was throwing up green.  After researching, that was really bad so Steve rushed him to the emergency room.  The minute the doctors saw him and his yellow skin they knew his Kidneys were failing. Katie called and told me that she was rushing to the hospital because they were taking Spencer by ambulance to Primary Children's hospital. 

March 3rd, 2024

I started a go fund me today for Spencer and his family

Doctors have identified the infection as Group A Strep that has now caused Septic Shock (Sepsis) and multi-organ failure. He is on several life support machines helping to keep his heart, lungs, and kidneys working while they work on fighting the infection. He's in a scary spot.

March 4th, 2024

Doctors are anxiously searching for the source of the infection invading Spencer’s body. The Second CT scan didn't bring back any tell-tell signs of a source. They did take some samples from his knees that were a little swollen. So they just continue the search to figure out what's going on. Doctors and nurses are still positive. All hope is not lost. It may be less than 50% but that is still a chance. Spencer is young and strong and so many people are praying for him. Thank you!

March 5th, 2024

The two words, the doctors keep saying is "marathon" and "cautiously optimistic".The goal for Spencer tonight is to stay stable.He had some good things happen today. They lightened his sedation and took him off his paralysis medication for a few hours, and he was able to open his eyes on command which means he still has brain function. It was so heart warming; for about an hour (before they had to put him back under for a procedure) anytime Katie (mom) would talk to him his eyes would fly open. But he was still very drugged so he couldn't really focus on anything. But he recognized her voice.  His vitals continue to slowly tick up. His coloring is better.As a side effect of everything that's happened he has lost a lot of blood flow to his feet and hands (because of critically low blood pressure and his body trying to get all blood to his major organs). They were worried enough about his feet that they had to do a procedure (Fasciotomy) to release pressure to hopefully help save his feet. And the procedure went really well. One of the priorities right now is to maintain circulation in his extremities so he doesn't loose his hands/fingers and feet/toes. His blood cultures have been coming back negative for bacteria. So although they would like to find a source, that's not their main priority anymore. Another priority right now (in addition to maintaining circulation to his extremities) is getting him strong enough to wean him off sedation and life-support. Spencer looks very different than he did before he was admitted to the hospital, so the hospital printed a poster with pictures of him healthy, doing what he loves, with his family, so the nurses and doctors can see what he really looks like. It's been so comforting for the family looking at those pictures as well.

March 6th, 2024

People are so good! Thank you to all those who have been so gracious to my sister’s family during this time. Food, cards, money, well wishes, gift cards, videos, ribbons, and most importantly your faith and prayers have changed Spencer over night! Tears of joy were spilled today by everyone in the room as doctors said Spencer has over a 50% chance now. They all said if you had asked them the first two days they would have told you he wasn't going to make it; now they are very hopeful. We are not out of the woods and lots of risky obstacles ahead; but hopeful. One of our biggest concerns tonight is his extremities; especially his left foot. They're doing everything they can in the next day or two to save it. Please pray for that. Thank you all for joining the fight! Katie shows Spencer all the videos you send and tells him all the wonderful things you are doing, and he hears and is responding. Spencer’s basketball team and the opposing team wore his number on their arms for their game this week, and the BYU basketball team sent their support. He still has a long way to go, but you are making a difference. Thank you on behalf of the family!❤️

March 8th, 2024

Spencer is still not out of the woods, we have seen remarkable improvement in addressing the infection that started this, and now they are addressing all the damage it caused to his organs and limbs. His lung scans have improved slightly, but there is still a lot of fluid and infection that is preventing his body from oxygenating blood on its own. The doctors believe his other organs are doing well enough that they will soon be able to step back the majority of the life support and let his body resume many of the functions. They have opted to keep him on life support for now so they could try and save his feet and hands. In order to try and clear the clots and increase circulation to his feet to save them he was on several meds to stop clots, thin his blood, and increase his blood pressure. Unfortunately the side effects is that what would have been insignificant bleeding in his legs from the Fasciotomy became heavy bleeding, and he lost a lot of blood last night. To stop the bleeding they had to give him coagulation meds, cauterize the bleeds and cool his limbs. This made it harder to find a pulse in his feet. They are evaluating other options for 1) keeping his legs still so he stops kicking them, and 2) localized coagulation at the Fasciotomy sites. They are consulting other specialists and will come back with a plan later today.

March 8th, 2024

Tonight they are going to do a mini trial where they turn down a lot of Spencer's life support and see how his lungs do. This will help them make the decision tomorrow morning as to whether they want to take him all the way off his heart and lung support, or just convert it to a less invasive one. Right now he's scheduled to be the first OR patient tomorrow. Please pray for his surgeon, and Spencer's team of doctors as they make some big decisions in the next 12 hours!

March 9th, 2024

Today was a bit of a roller coaster. Just before midnight they did a mini-test where they turned his heart and lung machines down to see how he did on his own and he hit it out of the park! There were cheers and tears from everyone. Then at about 5am his breathing became very irregular and labored (he's on a ventilator to help him breathe but he can do some of the work on his end). They couldn't figure out why and were worried it could be a neurological issue. They did an eeg to see if he was having an active seizure and then took him to do a CT scan to check for an active bleeding, clot, or stroke. That was a very long hour. But he came back clear and shortly after returning from the CT his breathing went back to normal. So we still aren't sure exactly what happened there. But no time to dwell on it because they wanted to get him back to OR as soon as possible. They did lots of tests and checking him over in the OR and decided to take him completely off ECMO, the machine supporting his heart, and close his chest (his chest has been open the last week). So his heart is beating on its own! His lungs still looked a little sick, especially his right lower lobe, so they opted to keep him on the ventilator for now.Tonight the goals are to stay stable and control bleeding from the fasciotomy sites in his legs and the drainage tubes in his lungs. One step closer!!

March 10th, 2024

He stayed stable and fluid loss wasn't too bad. But it was a long night. Every time he wakes up (every 20-40 minutes) he is confused and agitated, especially from his breathing tube (he hates that thing). When he woke up he'd need to be talked back down and calmed and he responded best to me and Steve. So we took turns staying up with him all night. I forgot how hard it is to have a newborn☺️. Pray for him to get his day/night orientation back and to get some longer bouts of restful sleep.

March 10th, 2024

I've hesitated writing this post because how can I even begin to articulate the gratitude I've felt for family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers who've rallied around us, served us, and given so generously to our family. Your collective outpouring has been a lifeline to us through what has felt like a nightmare. I have felt your love, support, and prayers. The load feels lighter knowing how many people have our back and love our son. I don't think you will ever know the impact of your actions; they've been like little miracles that have restored our faith in the goodness of people. Truly and forever- Thank you. I've had a lot of people reaching out for updates so I've started an Instagram account. If you'd like to follow it's @teamspencer34 }

March 11th, 2024

Goals for today: Rest and Recover. The last two days Spencer has made great strides. Since coming off ECMO he is down to one antibiotic, off blood pressure medicines, and down on a lot of sedatives. He has been more awake and usually lucid (sometimes nights he still gets delirious and disoriented). We're trying to combat that by getting his day/night cycle back in order. When he is awake during the day he is usually alert and cooperative. He hates his breathing tube and we all can't wait for his lungs to heal so he can get off the ventilator. Communication has been hard and his hands are still very puffy and now have blistering from lack of circulation during the height of his sepsis. So he isn't able to write or use a phone, and even communication boards haven't been much help. We can really only communicate through yes/no questions where he shakes or nods his head to answer. So it's pretty frustrating for all of us. He's slowly discovering how sick he has been. Yesterday he got a good look at his hands (which in addition to puffy and blistered are a purplish color) and his eyes flew open in shock. Then today I broke the news to him today that he has been in the hospital for 9 days and his eyes and eyebrows flew up.One big thing today: since he is over 24 hours off ECMO he was moved from the Cardio Intensive Care Unit (CICU) to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The CICU team have been so good to us and literally saved Spencer's life. It was bittersweet and I got emotional saying goodbye to them. I started making a list of his main nurses, Nurse Practitioners and attending physicians and in the 8 previous days we've been here Spencer has had 21 RN's, 4 NP's, 6 Attending Doctors and 2 Surgeons (that I was able to keep track of) and countless specialists, techs, social workers,  housekeeping, PA's, residents, fellows, etc. We've been so grateful for the care we've received. I could never express to them in words how appreciative we are.

March 12th, 2024

Another popular saying here is 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Today felt like one step back. He's been fevering all day and because of some other labs they believe he may have a secondary infection now. They've been doing blood cultures, ultrasounds and scheduled an MRI for later this week to try and find the source of this possible new infection so we'll see. Because he was fevering he was very low energy, and sleepy today. You could tell he felt pretty crummy.His heart is doing well on its own. His lungs are still recovering. But he's at least been up for watching a bit of TV. A little Phineas and Ferb, Sponge Bob and How to Train Your Dragon. :)

March 13th, 2024

Today felt like two steps forward again. He still has a fever but they were able to get it to break for a while today and you could tell he was feeling much better. So far his tests are not showing another infection. I was told Group A Strep does historically cause long fevers but ECMO can mask fevers so it's possible it's just manifesting again now that he’s off ECMO. They are planning on doing an MRI Friday to see if they can find the source of the original infection now that he’s feeling a little better. Steve has so much patience and has been able to communicate a lot with Spencer with hand gestures and reading lips even with a big breathing tube in his mouth (I still don’t understand how) . He wanted his phone today (doesn’t have the dexterity to do anything with it yet, but he did hold it) and even asked Steve to take a picture of him so he could see what he looked like haha. They also got him a white board and this evening he was able to hold a marker just enough to crudely write what he wanted to watch on TV. He also started physical therapy today. He has exercises he’s supposed to do each day and they sat him all the way up in bed. He had to have 3 nurses hold him up but he was able to hold his head up by himself for about 10 seconds. Which was a win and he was exhausted afterwards. It’s crazy how much your body can change in 2 weeks. His lungs are slowly but surely improving. We are really hoping this weekend we can get him off the ventilator.

March 16th, 2024

https://spencer.bluegeckoapparel.com/ My cute little cousin Lydia put together this custom “Spencer Apparel” fundraiser. She along with friends and cousins of Spencer designed the shirts. Show your support and wear some cool apparel! $5 per shirt goes to Spencer’s family to help with medical Bills. Click the link above to order:)

March 16th, 2024

Yesterday and today have been a somber reminder, that despite Spencer's positive process he still has sepsis and is very very sick. He did an MRI yesterday and the results show lots of infected areas in his body, none of which were large or serious enough to warrant an operation. They took some cultures to see if there is a new infection or if this is still the effects of the original infection. The plan is to continue on with high dose antibiotics that should eventually kill the infection over the course of many weeks/months. Spencer felt not only really sick today but really down emotionally too. We're hoping tomorrow will be a better day.

March 17th, 2024

It is with the heaviest of hearts we let you know that Spencer passed away this afternoon. He took a turn for the worse last night and his lungs and heart just weren't strong enough with what he had already gone through and all the infection that was still attacking his body. We always said Spencer was too good to be true. He was such a loving, kind kid. We love him so much. Thank you so much for all your support. We have felt the prayers and were grateful for the extra time we were able to spend with him.

March 20th, 2024

Over the past several weeks we have heard of literally hundreds of people that prayed for Spencer. After his death some may be thinking, “Where was our miracle?” I wanted to let you know that although we may not have received the miracle we were hoping for; reflecting back on the last 3 weeks I assure you- there were so many miracles. To name just a few: Life for another- A surgeon let us know after Spencer came off ECMO that the night he came to the hospital there was a terrible snow storm that made getting to the hospital slow and dangerous. Spencer and the team of doctors needed to preform the life saving ECMO procedure arrived before the snow storm hit. Shortly after Spencer came out of surgery another young patient’s heart began to fail and they were immediately able to put them on ECMO. With the snow storm is full force at that time if they hadn’t already been gathered for Spencer there is no way they could have assembled quickly enough for the other patient and they would have died. That patient came off ECMO the day before Spencer and is expected to live. That was a miracle for their family. Support- The day Spencer died his aunt and uncle were in the waiting room giving support, talking things through, and sustaining Spencer’s parents. They were there to comfort and hug them after his passing and drive them home after a sleepless night. Neither of them lived locally and neither were expected to be there. But through a series of miraculous events they were in town and at the hospital that day. That was a miracle for Spencer’s parents.Time- The most important miracle was time. Spencer should have died his very first night at the hospital. In regard to Sepsis patients he was “the sickest of the sick”. I don’t think anyone expected him to make it past those first few days. But he did. He lived and became strong enough to come off ECMO. Because of that they were able to wake him up and for 3 days we had Spencer back. He was awake, alert, and communicating with us. We got to talk to him, hold his hand, and tell him we love him. His siblings, grandparents and other family were able to see him too. I don’t think he was ever meant to stay, but that time with him was a miracle that is now helping to sustain us and will forever be something I cherish. Thank you for your prayers, please continue them. We will forever be grateful for them and the miracles they brought and will continue to bring.

https://walkermemorials.com/obituary/spencer-kimball-oliver/

Spencer Kimball Oliver passed away on Sunday, March 17th, 2024, succumbing to complications of septic shock resulting from an unforeseen infection.  He was 14 years old.

Spencer was born on December 11, 2009 in Provo, Utah. His mom burst into happy tears as soon as he was placed in her arms and he continued to bring joy throughout his life.  Spencer found joy in everything he did.  He was an avid reader and writer, and loved basketball, listening to music, playing games with his family, playing piano, hanging out with friends, video games, oreos, and learning new things. He had his own lawn mowing business and loved the independence and feeling of accomplishment it brought.

Spencer loved people and people loved him. His kind, witty, fun-loving personality and genuine smile made him a friend to all. When Spencer got sick, many friends messaged his parents and told them how much they loved Spencer and what a good friend he was. He loved all alike, and had an ability to make you feel seen and special.

Spencer was a loving older brother. He and his younger brother Rod were particularly close. Best of friends or worst of enemies as they say, but they always had each other’s back. Their laughter could be heard ringing throughout the house on a daily basis.  Rod along with his youngest brother Jeffrey and little sister Andrea looked up to Spencer and loved it when he would play games with them, read them books, give them piggyback rides, and take them to the park.

Spencer was a devoted son. His parents, Katie and Steve, always said he was too good to be true.  He made the teen years seem easy.  Spencer had a special bond with his parents; he shared many hobbies with his dad and could talk for hours with his mom. When he got sick the only thing that would calm him was their voices. He loved them unconditionally and looked up to them in so many ways. He was a great friend and support to them and to his Grandma Oliver who lived with them.

Spencer had an innate desire to do what was right. One of the highlights of his life was attending FSY (a church summer camp). He was active in his church youth group and loved his youth leaders.  He loved His Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, and cherished his family above all else. He particularly loved family gatherings and reunions and being with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Spencer knew that family was the most important, and that they would be together beyond this life!

Spencer was larger than life. He was 6 foot 2 inches already at 14 years old. It was as if his body had to keep growing to house the great spirit within.  We are eternally grateful for the time we had with Spencer on this Earth, and will continue to grow because of his influence in our lives. We can’t wait to see him again!

Spencer is survived by his parents Steve and Katie Oliver, younger brothers Rod and Jeffrey, and little sister Andrea. He is preceded in death by his Grandma Vickie Woodstock. We are so happy they are together again.

We would like to thank all the health care workers at Spanish Fork Hospital and Primary Children’s Hospital, especially in the CICU and PICU units for their amazing care and dedication.

Viewings will be held Friday, March 22, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 pm and Saturday, March 23, from 9:00-10:45 am at the Canyon Ridge Stake Center  (1911 East 1850 South, Spanish Fork, UT).  Funeral services will begin at 11:00 am Saturday, followed by a graveside service for family only.

For any youth ages 11 and older that will be attending the funeral we will be having a special musical number of the FSY Medley by Janice Kapp Perry. If you would like to participate please come to the front when announced and sing the song in Spencer’s honor.

The family would like to thank so many for the extraordinary amount of love and service that has been shown to them during this difficult time! They ask that in lieu of flowers you donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities or pay it forward to another family in need. Thank you!