November 2017
PATIENT SPOTLIGHT: ELIZABETH SCHILLER
Running for Life
Elizabeth Schiller, 16, of College Station, has a new trophy
hanging on the wall in her bedroom among her track medals,
except it isn’t gold, silver, or bronze. Rather, it’s a plastic
breathing tube that serves as a testament to the strength
and endurance that helped her survive.
“THEY TOLD US IT WOULD
GET WORSE BEFORE IT GOT
BETTER, BUT WE DIDN’T
KNOW HOW MUCH WORSE.”
— Mrs. Schiller
For Elizabeth, running is life. The
teenager began her track career
in sixth grade and is a dedicated
member of the cross country team
at A&M Consolidated High School in
College Station, cheerfully waking up
at six in the morning every day for
practice. But never did she think her
passion for running would actually
play a role in saving her life.
In late February, Elizabeth came
down with the flu, and should have felt
better after a few days. Instead, she
felt worse. “It felt like there was fire
in my chest,” Elizabeth says. Parents
Kevin and Lindsey Schiller took
Elizabeth to the emergency room at
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center
– College Station where doctors sent
her by helicopter to McLane Children’s
in Temple.
Even though Elizabeth had
an annual flu vaccine, her body’s
reaction to the flu virus left her
more susceptible to bacteria. She
developed bacterial pneumonia
and contracted Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, an
antibiotic-resistant staph infection.
She also had sepsis, a life-threatening
A NEWSLETTER BY THE BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE – CENTRAL TEXAS FOUNDATION FOR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS OF MCLANE CHILDREN’S