
After complaints of severe stomach pains, young Brady Westphal’s parents took him to see a doctor, who diagnosed him with stomach flu. They were likely still feeling uncertain and fearful about their son’s condition – and with good reason, because as they would soon find out, the stomach flu wasn’t the real reason for his symptoms. In fact, it was something far deadlier.

Ten-year-old Brady lives in Norman, Oklahoma, with his parents, Peggy and Shane Westphal. Like any normal kid, he loves playing video games such as Minecraft on his Xbox. And just like most kids, Brady sometimes feels ill.

However, when the boy started to complain about stomach pains, it seemed more serious than usual – so his parents took him to the doctor. At this point, nobody knew what was wrong with Brady beyond his reported symptoms.