A two-year-old boy from Georgia is currently in critical condition after a terrifying encounter with a swarm of yellow jackets left him with over 150 painful stings, resulting in multi-organ failure.
Beckham Reed was enjoying a ride in his electric toy car alongside his cousins when he accidentally disturbed a yellow jacket nest, triggering a fierce attack from the angry insects, according to reports from WJXT and a GoFundMe page established by his family. The wasps swarmed over his tiny body, stinging him repeatedly.
Initially, Beckham was taken to the emergency room, where doctors administered morphine and Benadryl before sending him home. However, within just 24 hours, his condition worsened significantly. His skin turned yellow—a sign of jaundice indicating severe internal distress—which alarmed his parents enough to rush him back to the hospital immediately.
Medical professionals discovered that Beckham, who was born with only one functioning kidney, was now suffering from multi-organ failure. The venom from the stings had severely impacted his kidney, liver, and heart, causing a toxic overload that his small body struggled to fight off, as reported by The Independent.
Beckham was quickly transferred to the intensive care unit at Memorial Health in Savannah. There, doctors placed him on a ventilator to help with breathing, started dialysis to assist his kidney function, and administered IV medications to stabilize his condition.
The family’s fundraiser explains that due to Beckham’s very young age, small size, and the sheer number of stings, his body was unable to process the venom naturally. “There is no antivenom for yellow jackets,” the family wrote. “All doctors can do is support his body while it works through the toxins.”
Beckham’s father, Peyton, has had to take time off work to be by his son’s side throughout what medical staff describe as a slow and delicate recovery process.
Despite the severity of the situation, there have been encouraging signs of improvement. By Wednesday, Beckham’s liver and kidney function began to recover.
“Beckham is waking up more, and we know this is good news,” the family shared in a recent update. “He is STRONG and a great kicker. We know Beckham is a fighter and he’s fighting to get better.”
