The Clagg Family
Tessa Marie Clagg
Born on Easter Day, April 16, 1995, Tessa was a healthy girl, the bright light and the rock of her family. Everything changed when she got Influenza B.
On the morning of February 3, 2020, Tessa called her mom, asking her to bring her an inhaler—she had lived with a slight case of asthma since a young age. When Tessa’s mom arrived at her house to check on her, she was having trouble breathing but didn’t think she needed to go to the hospital. However, a few days later, she wasn’t feeling better and did go to the Emergency Room. She was able to walk herself into the hospital, where they immediately started giving her fluids and breathing treatments. At this point, she was also coughing up blood. Tessa realized how serious her situation was becoming and said to her mother, “I’m scared, Mommy.”
After transferring her to the ICU, Tessa requested to be put on a ventilator, and the doctor agreed. Tessa’s mom was told that a ventilator would give her lungs a chance to try and recover.
Tessa’s kidneys had already failed, and she was placed on dialysis; Tessa needed multiple blood transfusions. Her mom was told she might not make it through the night and that she should call her family to see her now. Recognizing the seriousness of Tessa’s situation, the family requested a transfer to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
At OSU, they ran multiple tests, put Tessa on high doses of blood pressure medication, and did X-rays that revealed Tessa had developed pneumonia, sepsis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. She was not eligible to be placed on ECMO due to complications with brain swelling.
On Sunday morning, Tessa’s heart rate dropped dramatically. Despite CPR and other attempts to save her life, Tessa was pronounced dead from Influenza B and pneumonia. She was just 24 years old.
Today, Tessa Marie’s family advocates to increase awareness of how severe the flu can be in honor of her legacy.
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