Utah family mourns loss of 3-year-old after sudden illness

OGDEN, Utah (KSL) — After a month‑long fight against multiple respiratory illnesses and a bacterial infection, a 3-year-old boy from Ogden has died.

Jace Patrick’s mother, Kelsie Garrett Patrick, said the speed of his decline is still impossible to grasp. Just weeks ago, the family was planning a Disneyland trip for his birthday.

“We just went from he had a little cold … to he’s not breathing,” she said.

Kelsie remembers her son running around and playing like his normal, energetic self, only days before he fell critically ill.

On the Sunday after Valentine’s Day, Jace had been “a little bit sick,” she said — no fever, but a cough that seemed to be changing. He was a bit “off,” so the family decided to take him to the emergency room.

On the drive there, everything changed as Jace stopped breathing.

“My husband’s pounding on the doors, like, ‘We need help!’” Kelsie recalled. Firefighters were nearby and rushed to assist. Paramedics intubated Jace and transported him to the hospital.

Within hours, he was flown to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. There, Jace tested positive for flu, RSV, pneumonia and strep. His family said the combination of infections overwhelmed his small body.

“All the things combined had started to shut down his heart,” Kelsey said.

By that night, doctors delivered devastating news. “They said, ‘We need to put him on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation); it is full life support,'” Kelsey recalled.

The Patricks were stunned by how quickly their world had shifted. On what should have been his 3rd birthday, Jace underwent brain surgery. Over the following weeks, he battled internal bleeding, blood clots and even a stroke — yet continued to defy the odds.

But last week, his small body could no longer keep up. Kelsie remembers the moment the alarms sounded.

“When the alarms go off, all of the doctors go running. They grab their bags, and they just sprint. They call out, ‘Where’s the room?’ And they just sprint to have all hands on deck,” she said. “The alarm went off … and I just knew.”

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She and her husband were at Jace’s side as he took his final breath.

“Jace would always say, ‘Hey, I have a secret … I love you,’” Kelsie said. “And my husband told him, ‘Hey buddy, I have a secret … I love you.’”

The family said the outpouring of love, prayers and support from the community has been overwhelming. If there has been any small comfort in their grief, they said it’s been the kindness shown to them during the most painful chapter of their lives.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help support the Patrick family.