A 10-year-old boy from Texas suddenly fell ill in New York: doctors had to put him in a coma

A Texas family's trip to New York for their 10-year-old son's birthday turned into a nightmare. The boy became ill, he was put into a coma in the intensive care unit of New York and underwent craniotomy, reports Fox News.

Riker Stippick's family surprised their son with a trip to New York for his birthday so the boy could watch the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" and eat his first slice of the area's famous pizza.

“Bless his sweet little heart,” said David Stippick, Riker's father. “He wanted to go to the duel in Weehawken, where the duel took place between Aaron Burr and Hamilton.” According to the man, on his son’s tenth birthday, the last thing he thought about was that he could get so seriously ill.

“At 10 years old, your child is happy and healthy, and you assume he will stay that way,” remarked Stippick.

On the way to the World Trade Center, Riker felt unwell and told his parents that he had a “massive headache” that he had never experienced before.

“There's a building we had to go through, and as soon as we got out of it, he said, 'I have a really bad headache. This is the wildest headache I’ve ever experienced,” the boy’s father relayed his son’s words. A little later, the birthday boy vomited and lay down to rest on a bench. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors put the little patient into a medically induced coma.

Terrible diagnosis

Doctors in New York told Riker's parents they believed he might have an arteriovenous malformation, an abnormal connection between arteries and veins that can cause bleeding in the brain or spinal cord. Doctors said the 10-year-old had an aneurysm inside his arteries and veins, which led to excruciating pain.

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Surgeons had to drill a hole in Riker's skull to drain not only the blood, but also the fluid, and also remove blood clots. “It's every bit as terrible as it sounds. Do you understand what I'm talking about? Stippick asked. “We don’t know what to hope for.” If he comes out of this state, when? What therapies or treatments will be needed in the future?”

Doctors still have to do an MRI before they can give the boy an official diagnosis. They explained to his parents that in order to get a diagnosis, Riker needed to be stabilized and off the tubes and machines.

The Stippicks are now praying that their son will wake up from his coma and that they will get answers to their many questions about their son's health. “We never expected this to become our reality, but it is,” the child’s father noted.

The family's support system, including their church in Texas, rallied around the couple during the nightmare. The lead pastor of their Peace of Christ Church opened a GoFundMe account that raised more than $78 in just a few days. “I don’t have words to express my gratitude to everyone. I can only say 'thank you,'” Stippik said finally.