Come Join us for a fun family 5K Run or Walk family event and support Rock's Medical needs!

Rock Riser is a 17 year old young man from Bowman, SC. He is a junior at Branchville High School and an active member of Fellowship of Praise church in Santee, SC. 

Rock had Covid last year, followed by pneumonia but recovered with no known lingering side effects. He tore his ACL playing football in Sept. He had scheduled Sinus Surgery on Nov 4, ‘22. He initially seemed to recover from this surgery. He was given Bactrim (sulfur drug). He spiked a high fever and rash about 9 days after surgery and after many trips to urgent care and ED, he was admitted to tRMC on Nov 20. 

He was transferred to ICU at Prisma Children’s Hospital 2 days later and has underwent so many tests and procedures for the next 9 days. He was intubated and put on a ventilator and air lifted to ICU at MUSC Children’s Hospital in Charleston. He continued to decline and demanded more oxygen support as they searched for answers. The doctors have diagnosed him with ARDS. Possible causes are Covid, strep pneumonia, Bactrim sensitivity, vaping. 13 days later our family made the decision to transfer him to adult side of MUSC and put him on ECMO which is a machine that oxygenates his blood and takes over breathing for him. 

Our goal for Rock is for his lungs to rest while ECMO does all the work and for him to get stronger. 12/27/22 Doctors have told us that they see lung transplant as the only way for Rock to regain his quality of life. 

They are working on getting him placed on the transplant list, and have given verbal qualification for him to be placed. Please pray all of the hospital logistics work in our favor for Rock to be listed and a new pair of lungs to become available. 

1-10-23 Rock Received New Lungs! Surgery began 1-9 and lasted throughout the night. God has given Rock a miracle of life! Prayers for no rejection and successful rehabilitation! Our grateful thanks to the donors family!