Former Owatonna wrestling standout faces life-threatening rare infection
Peyton Robb is shown with his parents, Carrie and Tracey. Photo from internet
Three-time Minnesota state wrestling champion and former Owatonna standout Peyton Robb has been hospitalized since March 18 after contracting a rare skin infection coined necrotizing fasciitis while competing at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
According to a press release submitted by friends of the Robb family, problems began when Robb noticed a “very large bruise on his shin.”
A string of trips to the emergency room followed as doctors tried to diagnose the problem stemming from the bruise.
After finishing his semifinal match, Robb began “vomiting and shaking uncontrollably” before being taken to an emergency room in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Robb’s injury was initially diagnosed as strep cellulitis – a bacterial infection.
However, after traveling back home to Nebraska with his team on March 19, Robb’s condition had not improved, and he was once again rushed to the emergency room.
His vitals remained troubling to doctors as they searched for answers noting that his vitals upon arrival included a high heart rate, low blood pressure and severe pain in his leg.
This time Robb was diagnosed with sepsis stemming from the infection, with the possibility of blood clots in his lungs.
As a true fighter does, Robb battled the infection and began to see improvements with his condition before doctors noticed “black spots on his leg – a sign of the tissue dying inside his body.”
According to the release, one doctor said to Robb’s parents Tracey and Carrie, that he would need to remove the black spots “or your son could die.”
Robb has been battling the diagnosis since.
Doctors at the emergency room noted that the disease only sees “a couple hundred cases in the U.S. per year” and “even with treatment, one-in-five people die of this rare infection,” the release said.
This is what those close to him have had to say about his progression, “Peyton has a great attitude and has been a warrior through all of this. His parents have been in town (and at the hospital) with him daily for the past 2 weeks, and Taylor Krone has been a huge support for him as well. His Husker teammates and coaches have been in to visit and support him, as well as his athletic trainer, Tyler Weeda, who has been almost living at the hospital with him through this time.
Doctors currently have Robb scheduled for one more surgery, “with hopes that it will be his last.”
Those looking to aid the Robb family during this time can make donations at the following link: https://www.givesendgo.com/GA28Z?utm_source=twitter. As of Friday afternoon, the campaign has raised $45,367.
The Robb family is a family of faith, so please also keep them in your prayers as well.