Prayers for former Bradley coach Rick Karius and family

[Da Coach]

Rick Karius was on Brian Wardle's 1st-year staff at Bradley as the Director of Basketball Operations from 2015-2016. He had previously served in that same position at UW-Green Bay under Wardle for 2 seasons. After leaving Bradley following the 2015-16 season, he served on the basketball staffs at South Dakota and Utah State. He wife Kayla (Tetschlag) Karius spent time as the Associate Head Coach of the Wisconsin Women's basketball team, and she is now an Assistant Coach at Drake.
Rick and Kayla's second son Macklin Karius, born July 16, 2021, was born with a birth defect that severly affects his heart and lungs. He has spent his entire life so far in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on advanced life support systems in a pediatric specialty hospital at the University of Iowa, to try to stabilize his condition so he can undergo surgery to correct the defect. He has been on an extra-corporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO), which removes blood from his body, oxygenates the blood, then pumps it back through his circulatory system to take the workload off the heart and lungs, and the doctors have not been able to get him off that support. Also, he has also been getting dialysis treatments to support his kidney function. Macklin is scheduled to undergo high-risk surgery tomorrow (Friday 8/6) to repair the defect causing the problems. They have been told to expect possibly several more months in the hospital.
If you are a believer in prayer, please pray for or help support Rick and Kayla and their son Macklin.

Summary from Rick- https://twitter.com/CoachKarius/stat...35606919720963

GoFundMe page (with more recent updates)- https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-baby-mack-karius

[Dub]

I prayed for Macklin. Join me.

[Da Coach]

I got to know Rick a little during the year he spent on Coach Wardle's staff, and there is not a nicer guy alive. Maybe some others here knew him, too. He wasn't at Bradley very long, but he was a hard worker as DBO, which is why Coach Wardle valued him enough to bring him along to the position at Bradley. Though he occupied a non-coaching position as DBO, he was a valuable part of that initial year's staff (2015-16) that helped bring in and develop the roster and create a culture that would eventually evolve into MVC Champions. He did the same at UW-Green Bay, prior to coming to Bradley.

[Tommy]

Prayers for Macklin have been made and I'll try to keep him in there in the future. Thanks for posting this, Coach.

[Bradley3342]

Prayers for Macklin and the entire Karius family....

[wily coyote]

Prayers going out for the entire Macklin family and while your at it please include Rick Snarr,a long time Richwoods Asst coach under Coach Hammerton, in your prayers. He is in need of prayers also.

[Da Coach]

The update that was posted after yesterday's surgery for the Karius baby sounds very positive-

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-baby-mack-karius

The surgery was successful in repairing the defect in baby Macklin's diaphragm, and the abdominal organs that were pressing on his heart and lungs were relocated back into their normal positions in the abdomen. It allowed the doctors to get Macklin off the ECMO (external pump and blood oxygenator support). His own lungs are now able to expand and are oxygenating his blood, though he remains on a ventilator to assist his weakened lungs and diaphragm. In cases like this, ventilator support could be needed for a long time, and a lot of complications could still happen.

[Da Coach]

Unfortunately, after some positive news following the surgery Friday morning (see above post), Macklin Karius' condition deteriorated later Friday night. The defect in his diaphragm and the herniation of the abdominal organs into the chest had severely compressed his heart and lungs throughout his time in the womb. As a result, they were not developed well enough to be able to sustain him after the defect was repaired. He passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Condolences to Rick and Kayla Karius and their family.

Latest update here- https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-b...karius/updates

[bradleyfan124]

Extremely sorry to hear that. My first son almost died from complications at birth so I know what they are going thru

[Bradley3342]

Continued prayers for the Karius family...

[Tommy]

Continued prayers for the Karius family...

Amen. That is extremely heartbreaking.