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Accountant at IU Health credits doctors for saving his life in high school

Posted at 10:49 PM, Nov 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-13 22:49:57-05

INDIANAPOLIS – A recent Ball State graduate found his first job out of college at the place where doctors were credited with saving his life years ago.

Drew Heydon, an accountant for IU Health, said he’s thrilled to work for the hospital.

“IU Health helped take care of me and I got my education,” said Heydon. “I was able to go through all of that and then come back around and work for them now. I’m really happy with how it all ended up.”

During his high school football days, Heydon missed his first football game after he felt a mysterious pain in his back.

Doctors said Heydon had kidney stones and Staph Infection. Heydon said he doesn’t remember the moment he contracted the infection, but it could’ve been a month earlier when he busted his lip while on the field.

“It tends to cause a very severe disease,” said Dr. Cole Beeler. “It’s resistant to a lot of antibiotics that we normally treat bacteria with. If Staph has made its way into the blood stream, you need to have IV therapy for a long time."

Heydon said he is lucky doctors caught the infection early enough and he was able to get back on the football field.

Beeler said parents who have children playing sports should be aware that:

  • Staph Infections can be hard to treat because the bacteria likes to stick itself to parts of the body like the heart or bones
  • The bacteria develops toxins that harm the body
  • Signs of infection include weakness, fever, fatigue and redness similar to a spider bite
  • The best way to prevent the infection is to wash your hands, wipe down equipment, and avoid sharing razors, towels and uniforms 

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