A loving wife’s gut instinct saved her husband’s life after she insisted on a second opinion for his sudden illness. The man, who was suffering from bacterial meningitis but was initially misdiagnosed with an ear infection, might not have survived had they waited any longer.
High school sweethearts Jason and Aleck Lang, from Ogden, Utah, have been married nine years. They have made their home in Phoenix, Arizona, and are raising three young children together.
On the evening of March 17, 2021, Aleck received a text from Jason, who was at work, complaining of head and ear pain.
“He said he was feeling lightheaded when he moved,” Aleck told The Epoch Times. “He got home around 8:15 p.m. and didn’t look well. His biggest complaint was how bad his head hurt.”
The next day, Jason woke Aleck up at 3:00 a.m., saying that the pain in his head had only increased and he didn’t know what to do.
“He was writhing in bed,” Aleck said. “I got him up to go to the bathroom and he starts vomiting.”
Jason—who has a master’s degree in nurse anesthesia—was pale, sweating profusely, and vomiting every time he opened his eyes or moved his head.
“I started to worry because of the sudden onset,” Aleck said. “I had never seen him in so much pain.”
The mother of three began to look for sitters for their kids in case Jason’s condition got worse or even remained the same.
Around 6:30 in the morning, Jason—who had no history of migraines or headaches—began begging his wife to take him to the emergency room. Close friends “dropped everything” to sit for the children, and Aleck drove Jason to the nearest ER and dropped him off.
She waited patiently in the car for 90 minutes while medics attended to her husband.
“They had given him a couple of different medications for his headache and the doctor diagnosed him with an ear infection,” Aleck said. “Of course, I was very concerned with this diagnosis because, as a nurse myself, I saw that Jason checked all the boxes for meningitis. The doctor failed to pursue any lab draws, imaging, lumbar puncture; anything at all!”
The doctor dismissed Aleck’s concerns and Jason was discharged shortly before midday. Back at home, Jason’s condition got worse, so a panicked Aleck drove him to a different hospital, where he received a second, accurate diagnosis: bacterial meningitis.
“The doctor said Jason most likely wouldn’t be alive if we waited even a couple of hours more,” Aleck explained. “Jason was fighting for his life.”
Bacterial meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord and can be fatal. As it is highly contagious, Aleck had to leave Jason behind at the hospital and return home, with instructions to monitor both herself and the kids for symptoms.
“I knew how serious and time-sensitive bacterial meningitis is, but leaving Jason there alone was one of the hardest moments of my life,” Aleck said. “Not knowing the result of what was going to happen was heart-wrenching.”
Jason stayed in the hospital for five days. For the first three days, he was still too contagious to receive visitors.
Aleck said: “All I wanted to do was be with him, lay with him, take care of him. But each day, God healed him, each day, his labs got better and better, and each day, he responded to all the care he received. God is so good!”
When Aleck was unable to be physically present with Jason, she advocated for her husband over the phone, teaming up with his nurse on his care plan. She was also busy and distracted caring for her three kids, who gave her joy while she missed Jason greatly.
“It gave me a chance to see how strong they can be, and how strong I can be for them,” she said.
Jason’s father flew in for two weeks to help with childcare and meal prep, and also helped Jason after his discharge from the hospital.
During this difficult period of time, friends and family stepped in to offer their support in different ways. Those out of town sent Venmos, meals, cards, flowers, and even a cleaning service to clean the family’s house.
“It was so clear to me that it truly takes a village during times like these. I couldn’t be more grateful,” Aleck said. “My faith was also a driving force, and I had many long talks with God.”
Following Jason’s hospitalization, a home nurse helped him with medications and peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line care. Over the next few months, Jason regained his strength and managed the extreme dizziness, which eventually faded away.
Now, 18 months since his sudden illness appeared, the father of three has made a full recovery, but the deafness in his left ear is permanent.
“We feel extremely blessed that this was our outcome, as we realize many others turn out so differently, and there will never be a day that we take that for granted,” said Aleck, who has learned a lot from this ordeal. “Nothing holds Jason back. He is truly the strongest person I know, never complains, and just perseveres with joy and gratitude. He inspires me every day to live life to the fullest.”
Since facing this adversity, Aleck implores others to always trust their gut, and never stop advocating for loved ones, especially if they aren’t capable of advocating for themselves.
“Life is such a gift,” she said. “If you aren’t being seen, heard, or listened to, don’t back down. We were given gut intuition for a reason, so keep fighting!”
