MACON, Ga. — Morgan Walker is a 24-year-old pediatric intensive care nurse at Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital in Macon.
For almost two years, she's fought to save her patients' lives, but now she is fighting for her own.
Her husband Warren Walker says it all started after she slipped and fell at home at the end of June and got a concussion.
She kept having complications, pain, and weakness in other parts of her body, until she finally had to be admitted to the ICU at Emory in Atlanta in July.
Warren says doctors discovered an infection in her blood but couldn't figure out where it came from. They say it damaged her kidneys and caused both of her lungs to collapse days apart.
Her husband created 'Morgan's Care Page' on Facebook to update their friends and family about Morgan's condition, but the page quickly grew to more than 2,000 followers offering prayers and support, including some of Morgan's former patients.
"It makes us so grateful that there are so many people out there that don't know Morgan personally, myself, her family, or anybody like that, but they just want to be there to help support other people," said Walker.
Now, people have set up GoFundMe accounts and others have volunteered to make key chains, wristbands, and t shirts that say #MorganStrong to help raise money for Morgan and her family.
Her husband says someone even sent her pink boxing gloves to remind her that she is a fighter.
"We've had the nurses who have been taking care of her signing those boxing gloves, so we know when Morgan gets out of this, we're going to hang those up in our house in Macon for her to always know that she was well taken care of and she is a true fighter," said Walker.
He says one of the hardest parts is not being able to be by her side during this fight because of the hospital's visitor restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warren says doctors told them last weekend that Morgan may not be able to hold on much longer, but he says she's has started to show small signs of improvement since then.
If she continues to get stronger, Warren says Morgan will need a lung transplant. For now, he is just focused on helping her fight one day at a time.