Jacob M. Brown Obituary (1996

South Portland - Jacob Brown, 21, passed away Friday, August 17, 2018 due to complications of a minor surgical procedure. Jacob was born in Portland, Maine on December 4, 1996 the son of James M. and Theresa A. (Jones) Brown. He graduated from South Portland High School, as valedictorian, in the class of 2015. He had a passion for academics, which was evident through helping his peers and simply pursuing the knowledge. Some of his achievements were the National Honor Society, World Language Honor Society and an AP scholar. Jacob played baseball, basketball, and soccer. He was very competitive and enjoyed being part of the team. Jacob was currently pursuing a degree in nursing at the University of Southern Maine. Jacob had a strong desire to help people and was looking forward to starting his clinicals at Maine Medical Center this fall semester. He worked for South Portland Parks and Recreation at the Wainwright complex as well as Troiano Landscaping. In his spare time he loved to read, go to the beach, snowboard and was always ready for a pick-up basketball game with his friends. Jacob was the best son, brother, and friend you could hope for. He was a true role model and made a positive impact on anyone he came in contact with, no matter how brief the encounter. Jacob will be missed but certainly never forgotten. We love you Jacob. Jacob was predeceased by his grandparents Charlotte A. Jones, Thomas and Catherine Brown; an Aunt Mary E. Corbin. He is survived by his parents, James and Theresa Brown; a brother Joseph M. Brown all of South Portland; John Corbin; aunts and uncles: Ellie and Howard Spear, Thomas Jones, Peggy and Rocco Leo, Ashley DiMarco, Bev and Doug Bailey, Debra Brown, John Brown, Tim and Keiko Brown and many cousins; as well as countless longtime friends. Belle. Visiting hours will be on Friday, August 24, 2018 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at the Conroy-Tully Walker South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. Prayers will be recited at the funeral home at 9:15am on Saturday, August 25, 2018 followed by a 10:00am Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Cross Church, 124 Cottage Road, South Portland. Burial will follow in Highland Memorial Cemetery. Our deepest gratitude to the Maine Medical Center nurses and doctors in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit who tirelessly cared for Jacob. In Jacob's memory please donate blood to the American Red Cross, Maine Region, 524 Forest Ave., Portland, ME 04101. ----------------------------------------------------- Jacob would want you to know why there were many times this summer he couldn't work, couldn't meet up with you, did not respond to your text or return a call, go for wings, or play pickup basketball. Joey and Jacob had planned a trip to France and Italy leaving 5/13 and returning 5/27/2018, when they returned on 5/28 Jacob was noticeably not feeling well. Thinking this was a "bug" or "bad cold" from travelling we purchased OTC cold medicine. Within in a couple of days symptoms seemed to progress with fever, chills, unusual fatigue, and a rash. Jacob went to his primary care physician 5/31 and due to a high heart rate for his age group he was referred to the emergency room. Again, like the PCP, the emergency physicians suspected Lyme disease or a tickborne illness, various lab work was ordered, and Jacob was discharged with a 10-day antibiotic and plan to follow up with his primary care physician. On the follow-up visit June 4th based on lab results and continued symptoms the primary care physician discontinued the antibiotics and ordered an ultrasound of his abdomen for June 7th. The ultrasound showed an enlarged spleen and he was referred to the ER and admitted inpatient on the same day. They continued to suspect tick-born illnesses or infectious diseases from travelling. Jacob was at Maine Medical Center 6/7 thru 6/12/2018 where he had a bone marrow biopsy and many more blood tests, everything came back negative. A CT scan showed an enlarged spleen. Doctors were always saying how unusual his lab work was but could never pinpoint the cause or what was causing these symptoms. An idea of a rare syndrome came to light and Jacob was given IV steroids in the ICU. We were advised Jacob should be transported to Mass General Hospital where doctors knew more about this. He spent a week there and the steroids seemed to help. More lab work was performed, and a genetic test ordered. He was doing well after returning from Mass General. Jacob's symptoms returned after a trip up to Acadia around July 6th. At his July 9th follow up visit with the specialist, he was referred to ER and ICU for monitoring, then to a room and discharged 7/12/2018. His next specialist follow up was 7/31, based on genetic test results (7/20) being negative for this rare disease, a Pet scan was ordered for August 14th, which showed the spleen and liver having abnormalities. A liver biopsy (a minor procedure) was performed on August 16th which resulted in severe bleeding. Jacob was brought into the OR to stop the bleeding, during this procedure Jacob went into cardiac arrest, as a result, full life support was required. Jacob was in and out of the hospital all summer but rarely lost his sense of humor, he was always joking around and had a smile throughout it all. He was never in any pain.