Only a month after his 10th birthday, Keith began experiencing pain and swelling in one of his legs. At first, doctors didn't recognize the enormity of the situation...
You have to hear about Keith's story. It's heartbreaking when something threatens the life of a young child with such promise.
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Fourth-grader Keith Pierce lived life on the go.
Here he is about to fake out another kid on the football field. Look at that determination!
Keith was described by his peers and family as "energetic and athletic." He enjoyed spending time with his three loving siblings.
Only one month after Keith's 10th birthday, he was struck by a disastrous medical situation.
On September 30th, a dark spot started forming on Keith's leg and his mother took him to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.
In addition to the painful spot forming, his leg started swelling considerably.
The doctors took a close look at the spot on his leg and determined that it couldn't be cancer.
Naturally, the doctors sent him home. This is when things started getting far worse.
Several days later, Keith was rushed to St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, Montana, after he started experiencing major pain.
In an effort to save his life, Keith underwent emergency surgery.
Sadly, after hours of surgery, Keith's parents had to make the tough decision to stop any further efforts to resuscitate him. The doctors couldn't stop the infection that began to spread in his body.
After Keith's death, a detailed forensic examination was conducted to determine exactly what happened.
NBC Montana reported that the examiners "determined the cause of death as severe sepsis due to complications of a spider bite." The Yellowstone County Coroner determined that the bite was likely from a brown recluse spider, otherwise known as the "brown fiddler." The brown recluse is considered one of the most lethal spiders in North America, alongside the black widow.
One troubling aspect of the story is that Keith's mother, Mandy Pierce, said she tried to tell the doctors all along that it was a spider bite.
“I saw what appeared to be a set of fang marks," Mandy told LittleThings. "I tried to tell them that it was a spider bite," she said. She explained further that the doctors were most concerned with ruling out cancer during the first visit. While it's unclear what exactly contributed to the decision to initially send Keith home, it appears as if his mother was right all along.
Experts say that children in areas that have a high density of brown recluse spiders should wear long sleeves and long pants if possible.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to dress children in clothes that fully cover them, especially in the hot summer months.
It's important to learn from heartbreaking situations like Keith's in order to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
If you or your child are experiencing itching, chills, and fever, in combination with a spot that appears to be a bite, it's important to seek medical advice from a doctor as quickly as possible.
Keith's family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to take care of expenses related to his passing.
His campaign can be found here, and donations can still be made. Everyone should also go to Keith's memorial page on Facebook, Remembering Keith Pierce.
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