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Spencer Shell, a junior in political science, is put in an ambulance following his collapse on Dan Allen Drive Sept. 2. Shell went into cardiac arrest while jogging due to an Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Shell is now in stable condition at Rex Hospital.
Spencer Shell, the student who collapsed in front of Harris Field on Thursday, Sept. 2, has been moved from the Intensive Care Unit and is in stable condition.
Koby Shell, Spencer’s mother, said he was transferred into a regular hospital room.
“He came to his regular room yesterday,” Koby Shell said.
“He’s doing awesome. He is not hooked up to anything,” Shell said. “He is walking the halls right now. He is feeling good and wanted to go to the courtyard.”
According to a website set up for Shell, Shell’s recovery has been astonishing.
“I ran into [the first emergency room doctor to see Spencer] in the hall. She was ASTONISHED at his progress and said when he first got to the ER she did not think he was going to make it,” Koby Shell wrote in the journal of Shell’s website.
According to Spencer’s website, he suffered cardiac arrest and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. According to the National Institute of Health, ARDS is when capillaries leak too much fluid into the lungs, preventing oxygen absorption.
“ARDS usually occurs in people who are very ill with another disease or who have major injuries,” the NIH website says.
Koby Shell said that they do not know what caused Spencer to develop ARDS.
“We still don’t know why he collapsed. We are still waiting for his heart test next week,” Shell said.
Although Spencer Shell is doing well, doctors have not said when he will be able to leave the hospital. Koby Shell said that they have “no clue” when he will be released.
“It depends on how the heart test turns out,” Koby Shell said. “They will be monitoring him over the next few days.”
Koby Shell explained that they are trying to prevent him from being overwhelmed.
“We are really trying to protect his emotional state,” Koby Shell said. “He’s still very confused about what happened to him, and he doesn’t remember going for a run. But, the doctors tell us that is normal.”
“He hasn’t read Facebook yet,” Koby Shell said. On Shell’s website, Koby wrote, “Information overload is a concern. Less is best right now, until he comes to grips with things.
According to Koby Shell, friends can send cards to Spencer Shell through a website run by Rex Health Care: http://www.rexhealth.com/patients_and_visitors/greeting_cards/.