Update on our Bo

A little—or maybe a long—update on our boy… ❤️ We know what everyone thinks when they hear liver failure. And honestly, we were never concerned with proving what did or didn’t cause it. We just wanted Mayo to help our boy. But deep in our hearts, we knew there had to be something else going on.

And all it took was ONE very young doctor who looked at Bo’s case and thought, something just isn’t adding up.

Maybe he saw a little of himself in Bo. Maybe God simply put the right doctor in the right place at exactly the right time. Whatever it was, he kept digging.

And when I tell you they tested Bo for EVERYTHING… believe me, they tested him for EVERYTHING. His transplant nurse even joked about the staggering number of tests being ordered. 😂

And then…the mystery was finally solved.

LEPTOSPIROSIS. You all know how The Bensons love dogs, even strays!!!

After over two months of questions, fear, and watching our boy fight for his life, we finally had an answer.

It took a while to confirm because we have been told they believe they have never seen a case like Bo’s at Mayo Jacksonville. His testing was sent to Mayo Rochester and Mayo Phoenix, and once the results were confirmed, things started moving quickly.

Rochester contacted the CDC.
The CDC contacted the FL Department of Health. And then the phone rang…

“Mr. Benson, have you been out of the country?”

That was the first question they asked. And suddenly, so many pieces of this nightmare began to make sense.

The infectious disease team is now working alongside Bo’s transplant team and consulting with the other Mayo locations to determine the best plan moving forward. Bo will now be a part of a medical case study done by Mayo. We cannot wait to read about our boy. 

And we have HOPE. So much hope. ❤️

We are praying that once this infection is treated, Bo’s liver will continue to heal and that he will get to live a long, healthy, happy life with the liver God gave him at birth. That is our prayer. That is what we are holding onto.

We aren’t at the finish line yet, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like we finally know what we are fighting.

Thank you—again and again—for loving our boy. For praying for him. For loving our family through the worst chapter of our lives. 

Please keep those prayers coming. We feel every single one of them. ❤️
Much love, XOJB (Bo’s mom) 🤍