Boy, 2, fighting for life after being stung more than 150 times by wasps

  • 2025-06-28 07:21:02

Beckham Reed, born with only one kidney, was playing in a toy car near his house alongside his cousins when he disturbed a nest of yellowjacket wasps and was immediately engulfed by them, as detailed by a GoFundMe campaign. His parents swiftly got him to the emergency room, where it emerged that he had sustained more than 150 stings.

After receiving morphine and Benadryl, the little one was discharged, with doctors confirming his breathing was stable enough not to warrant a hospital stay. But within 24 hours, the situation turned dire as Beckham's skin began to yellow, sending his parents into a panic back to the ER.

At the Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick, it was clear Beckham was experiencing multi-organ failure, as per the online fundraiser. The child was quickly taken to the ICU at Memorial Savannah.

While in ICU, Beckham has been placed on dialysis, ventilatory aid, and crucial IV medications to rest his body and cleanse it from the toxins. "Due to his age and size and the amount of stings he had, his little body was unable to handle the amount of toxins in his body," penned Tiffany Hewatt, who orchestrated the fundraiser.

Responding to the treatments, Beckham's condition is showing signs of improvement, with his family holding onto hope that his lab results and organ functions will continue to get better.

"We pray for his mother Mariah who is pregnant with their second child and due in August. We pray for his father Peyton, who grabbed his baby and rushed him to safety while getting stung also. We ask God for healing and patience as the physicians say this will be a slow process," Tiffany penned down.

Further, she noted: "This is not a medical experience that is common. There is no antivenom for yellow jackets so all they can do is support his body while the toxins work their way out."

With Beckham's dad sidelined from work during his son's treatment, a GoFundMe launched to assist the family has collected upwards of $22,000.

Tiffany provided an update on Friday, discussing their hopes to remove Beckham's breathing tube, saying: "They have stopped his tube feedings in case they have to reintubate him."

She continued with news about Beckham's fluctuating health: "His electrolytes are a little wacky. His platelets are lower but not under 20 yet. We pray those start to trend up instead of down. His liver and kidney numbers still continue to trend down. We won't know if his kidney will function until they stop the continuous dialysis."

Recently, Beckham exhibited possible signs of infection, prompting the start of antibiotic treatment. Despite a tough Thursday, Tiffany relayed that today his vital signs “look really good.

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