Jonathan Watson left his wife and their three children at home in California and went on a business trip in early January never expecting to fall “seriously ill” while he was away. Now, his family is in mourning after he fought for his life after contracting the flu and the bacterial infection Strep A while abroad.
Watson fell ill on January 18 while in Europe and was ultimately flown by helicopter to the Intensive Care Unit at UCLA when he arrived home. For an entire month, Jon and his family were in the midst of a truly harrowing experience.
While fighting for his life, Jon had both of his legs amputated from the knee down, as well as multiple other surgeries in the hopes of stopping the spread of both illnesses. His doctors said he was “the sickest patient at UCLA Medical,” family friend Ally Byrne told People.
Sadly, Jon did not respond to antibiotics as the viruses continued to ravage his body and eventually turned into Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS), a life-threatening complication. “We’ve all heard of [strep] or even had it. Who knew such a common bacterial infection could turn into something so deadly? Unfortunately, Strep A’s severe consequences are one of the biggest hurdles Jon’s body has to fight and overcome.”
Family Left Heartbroken After Dad of 3 Passes Away Following Battle With Flu and Strep A
Most recently, Jon was given epinephrine in the hopes of getting the blood flowing through his heart, according to the family’s GoFundMe page. Unfortunately, the procedure did not go as planned.
“Where does this leave Jon?,” the friend wrote on the GoFundMe page. “I really don’t know I don’t have some witty explanation nor do I have some personal story to weave into the fabric of this update.”
“This is yet another un-sugarcoated pill that we must all swallow. What I am sure of though is that the grim prognosis Jon’s doctors have been so urgently heeded is slowing starting to sink in for Megan and family.”
As Jon fought for his life in the hospital, his wife Megan, and his children, 7-year-old Landon, 6-year-old Maddox, and 4-year-old Wyatt never gave up hope for his recovery. “The unimaginable is suddenly and horribly starting to seep into the fiber of our existence,” they wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“To be clear, we refuse to give up hope until all hope is verifiably and irrevocably depleted; and they’re not depleted yet.” Sadly, on February 18, Jon lost his battle a little more than a month before his 37th birthday.
A celebration of Jon’s life will be held on his birthday, March 29. A linktree has been created so that those who would like to honor Jon and his family may do so by making donations.
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