Carly Farrell
AMERICUS — Charlie Young was just a normal 25-year-old a few months ago.
He had a tight-knit group of friends he’d grown up with at Southland Academy, and he’s always been close to his family, who live in Plains, although Young now lives in Americus.
After graduating college, he became the office manager at his father’s company, Ellaville Recycling.
A few months ago, Young became so exhausted, his family rushed him to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, where he stayed for about three weeks. Medical professionals initially couldn’t diagnose the young man’s problem — all they knew was that his organs were failing.
“We’re so thankful to (Phoebe Putney’s) staff,” Craig Walters, Young’s uncle, said. “They actually ended up saving his life — they got his kidneys to work and they cleared up his lungs. They also stabilized his blood pressure, which was extremely low, and his insulin and blood sugar levels were very high the first few days he was there.”
Phoebe Putney’s staff also found spots on Young’s brain. The staff at Phoebe Putney, though, wanted Young to transfer to Emory in Atlanta because their staff could confirm what the doctors at Phoebe Putney thought may be the problem — pancreatitis. Emory has one of the top pancreatitis centers in the country.
On Feb. 21, after Young had been stabilized at Phoebe Putney, he was transferred to Emory.
The doctors at Emory diagnosed Young with severe pancreatitis, a sometimes life-threatening disease, which occurs when the pancreas, which is a gland behind the stomach, swells. Although the cause isn’t known, medical specialists believe the disease may be caused by an abnormal structure of the pancreas, genetic factors or high lipid levels in the blood. The pancreas releases hormones and insulin that help digest food.
While Young was at Emory, he also underwent brain surgery to explore the spots on his brain. Doctors found Young had sustained a slight stroke, which didn’t affect him badly — his right side is just weaker than normal. Doctors aren’t sure if the pancreatitis and the stroke are related.
Young still is awaiting surgery for the disease, but he’s hoping to get out of the hospital in one to two months.
And he’s getting impatient, Walters said.
“He’s telling us he’s bored,” Walters said. “You know he can’t just get up and do anything he wants!”
But, he’ll survive.
“He’s a very easy-going guy,” Walters said. “He’s got a huge heart and is everybody’s friend. He’s just your typical boy-next-door that everybody wants to be friends with because he’d do anything for you. He’s very family-oriented.”
Young grew up in Plains, and graduated from Southland Academy.
But, even with insurance and a well-paying job, the medical bills have been mounting. Because Young went undiagnosed for a few weeks, and needs to stay in the hospital for a while longer, the co-pay has been expensive.
Walters said he’s overwhelmed by the generosity of the Sumter County community members, who have gone out of their way to support Young and his family.
Walters said Young has a tight-knit group of friends in Sumter County who have visited him at Emory. On Facebook, one of his high school friends who no longer lives in the area had a virtual car wash.
“Here’s what they did,” Walters said. “They said it’s a great weekend to wash your car, so go wash your own car, and then send (Young’s) family $10 as a fundraiser for Charlie.”
Within two days, Young had received more than $1,300.
“And there’s more on the way,” Walters said. “People are telling me they’ve put money in the mail. That was the coolest thing. Jeff (Moss), who’s a good friend of the family, decided not to tell anyone — he did it on his own.”
