WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Aidan Hoglen loved to play the banjo, among other things.
“He was creative,” his mother Sabrina Greene-Rusk said. “He was a free spirit. You absolutely couldn’t keep him inside the house.”
“He was the kindest, most gentle soul you’d ever meet,” his stepfather JJ Rusk said.
Last week, Aidan became sick. According to Aidan’s mom, doctors said it was Type B influenza.
"I said don’t panic because I’d heard about the flu and COVID-19 and things like that. I said it’s OK, you could just have a cold,” Greene-Rusk said. “He said it’s confirmed Type B, and I’d never heard of that. The urgent care centers here, when he was taken to the doctors, said it was confirmed Type B flu. They gave him ibuprofen and that was it.”
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However, this past Monday, Aidan experienced swelling in his face among other symptoms. His mother took him to the emergency room, where things took a turn.
“What we didn’t know until later is that when we pulled into the emergency room, the doors opened and I went in for help, he was having a heart attack,” Greene-Rusk said. “He went into cardiac arrest. They took him in and immediately started doing CPR going down the hall. At that point, I went into shock.”
Soon after, Greene-Rusk was told her son was in critical condition.
“[The doctor] said, 'I’m not going to lie to you, the flu for children this year is weird, and it’s something horrible,’” she said.
On Tuesday, Aidan passed away after complications of heart failure.
“I would’ve never dreamed in a million years that this would have happened,” Rusk said.
“It happened so quickly,” Greene-Rusk said. “It was cruel.”
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The family is still awaiting the autopsy, but no matter the results, Aidan’s loved ones have learned not to underestimate any illness.
“This needs to be taken seriously,” Rusk said. “It’s not a joke. I’m going to tell you it’s not a joke. I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone. Not even my worst enemy, ever.”
Other local health officials said the same.
“It’s important that people are washing their hands, covering their coughs and staying home when they’re sick,” Buncombe County Health and Human Services Public Health Director Ellis Matheson said. “All these measures together are going to help prevent infection and reduce the spread of infection in our community.”
Aidan’s mother said one thing is going to stick with her going forward.
“The moment he left, every fear I’ve ever had in my life is gone,” Greene-Rusk said. “I’m afraid of nothing. I have to live boldly like he did.”
For more information on how to donate to Aidan’s family, click here.