Boy Dies From A ‘Simple’ Sinus Infection That Attacked His Brain

Keep Reading ↓

Watching your kids get sick is never easy, no matter how old they are.

One of the better things about them being sightly older when they catch a cold or fever — or worse — is that they can usually talk to you and tell you what’s wrong.

It makes a huge difference when you can ask exactly what is wrong.

It usually also leads to the doctors being able to figure out what is going on. Hopefully getting your kid the help they need so they can feel better and get back to themselves.

Unfortunately, a boy died after getting a “simple” infection. It’s not something you think would happen, but for one family, they’re still trying to make sense of it all.

A 13-year-old boy from Michigan has died several weeks after getting a headache and symptoms that felt like a cold. 

What his body was dealing with turned out to be a “simple” infection — but for the teen it turned complicated and eventually took his life.

Marquel Brumley was taken to urgent care in February after his Mother says he had symptoms that looked like a cold.

Doctors told the family that the issues and symptoms would go away on their own. Likely saying that he just needed sleep and rest, the family tells PEOPLE.

But, that’s not what happened.

As time went by, he started to get worse and he sought help at the emergency room several times. Marquel started to get really bad migraine headaches which prompted his parents to take him back to the doctors.

Each time he visited the ER, he was sent home with over-the-counter pain medication in an effort to reduce the pain from the headaches.

The family was doing exactly what the doctors repeatedly suggested but his migraines got even worse and he got to the point where his face became very swollen and he lost the ability to move his face on the left side.

His Mom rushed him back to the emergency room where the doctors finally examined what was going on in Marquele’s brain and ordered an MRI.

And what they found was devestating.

Something that totally explained the intense pain the boy was in

The MRI scan revealed that he had a sinus infection. But it wasn’t simple anymore and it had traveled through the bone and into the blood vessels in his brain. The boy was also dealing with blood clots in his brain and he was at risk of strokes.

“It was surreal,” Marquel’s aunt, Nicole Alexander, told PEOPLE. “He was in a lot of pain, he was crying that his head hurt, and he was still talking to us. He would ask his mom if they were done with the tests because he just wanted to go home.”

It was after that when the boy was rushed into surgery and the doctors fought to try and control the infection and reduce and treat the blood clots that were cutting off oxygen from his brain.

“They were treating the infection and the blood clots, but we just didn’t have enough time for everything to work before the pressure was too much,” Alexander says.

Unfortunately, days after Marquel was found to have a sinus infection, the boy died from complications related to what should have been a “simple” infection.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, PEOPLE reports, sinus infections can often clear up on their own. But, they state that rare occasions have the infection spread, and that’s exactly what happened to Marquel.

“He was a football player, played the trumpet in the band, you couldn’t find flaws with the kid,” Alexander says about her nephew. “He was really helpful. He loved helping people and always had a smile on his face. His daily goal was to make everybody smile.”

“If we can raise awareness so other people don’t go through this, it’s worth it. You don’t expect to lose somebody you care about and love so much from something as simple as a sinus infection,” she says. “You just don’t.”

The family set up a GoFundMe account to assist the family as they grieve and deal with the medical bills left over.

The obituary reads:

Marquel “Mark” was born on Wednesday, September 22, 2004, in Flint, he is the son of Mr. Marquel Williams and Ms. Cameo Kennedy. Educated locally, Mark attended the Mt. Morris Junior High School. He was on the offensive line for the Mt. Morris Panthers Junior High Football Team, and he also enjoyed playing the trumpet. In his free time, Mark enjoyed playing Sims, and Minecraft. He also enjoyed watching YouTube videos, listening to rap music, and was an avid MSU fan.

“It’s bittersweet, the human part of us is selfish and would rather have him here,” Alexander says. “At the same time, if we can prevent another family from feeling what we’re feeling, it’s a wonderful thing.”

Absolutely heartbreaking.