What began as a carefree afternoon in rural Georgia turned into a horrifying ordeal that no parent should ever have to witness. Two-year-old Beckham Reed, a cheerful toddler born with only one kidney, was playing outside with his cousins when disaster struck. While riding a small electric toy car, Beckham unknowingly disturbed a nest of yellow jackets hidden in the ground. Within seconds, the aggressive swarm engulfed him—head to toe—with more than 150 stings.
The venom overwhelmed his tiny body.
Beckham’s parents, Mariah and Peyton, rushed to his side in a panic. Emergency crews transported him to the nearest hospital, where doctors administered morphine and Benadryl. At the time, his breathing seemed stable, so he was sent home.
But within hours, everything changed.
Beckham’s skin began to yellow. His energy faded. His body started to fail.
Rushed to a second emergency room, Beckham was diagnosed with multiple organ failure. His heart, liver, and only remaining kidney were all in distress. He was immediately admitted to the ICU at Memorial Savannah Hospital, placed on a ventilator, dialysis, and surrounded by a network of IVs trying desperately to flush the toxins out of his fragile system.
“Due to his age and size and the number of stings, his little body just couldn’t handle the toxins,” said Tiffany Hewatt, the family’s friend and GoFundMe organizer.
Beckham’s hemoglobin level dropped to 6.8, a dangerously low count that jeopardizes oxygen transport through the blood. He has since received multiple transfusions.
He remains heavily sedated, both to ease his pain and to prevent him from pulling at the life-saving tubes and lines attached to his small frame. He’s being fed through a tube and, while recently taken off blood pressure medication, doctors are constantly adjusting his sedation.
“Beckham is waking up more—and that’s good. He’s strong. He’s a fighter. But we still have a long way to go,” Hewatt shared.
The family anxiously waits to see if Beckham’s only kidney will function once he’s removed from dialysis—a step doctors are cautiously planning. However, the risk of him tugging out his dialysis line has delayed the process.
Beckham has also shown signs of infection, another complication that threatens his already fragile condition.
Through it all, the Reeds are holding onto hope. They’ve launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with mounting medical bills and to rally prayers from across the country.
Because no child—especially one already born with the odds stacked against him—should ever have to fight this hard just to survive.
If you’d like to help the family or follow Beckham’s journey, visit the GoFundMe page here.
