A Chicago family’s annual trip turned into a scary ordeal late last year when they got stranded in Orange County after their 8-year-old son, Bradley, fell ill with necrotizing pneumonia, a rare and severe lung infection that requires emergency medical care, strong IV antibiotics, and sometimes surgery.
Close to 30 extended members of the Mueller family were about to embark on a Mexican Riviera cruise from the Port of Los Angeles. Arriving on a red-eye flight the day before the cruise, they decided to go to Disneyland.
Bradley never made it out of the hotel room.
Although he had gotten sick with flu-like symptoms two weeks before the trip, his doctor in Chicago had cleared him safe for travel. The standout basketball player has asthma but otherwise he has enjoyed a healthy childhood.
In the hotel room, Brian Mueller and his wife, Lynda, noticed Bradley’s labored breathing.
His primary care physician back home recommended they take him to a doctor, and after a visit to Pediatric Urgent Care at Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County, formerly called CHOC, Bradley was admitted to the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department.
Saving a life
Lynda’s parents, Kevin and Jami Duffy, stayed at the hotel with the Muellers’ three other sons, Brian Jr., 12, Benny, 10, and Beau, 7. The rest of the extended family continued on with the cruise, checking in frequently to see how Bradley was doing.
He was doing well, and then he wasn’t.
Fortunately, Bradley had ended up at one of the few hospitals in the country with an advanced bronchoscopy program. Fully operational earlier this year, the program, led by pediatric pulmonologist Dr. AJ Katz, offers minimally invasive diagnostic and interventional bronchoscopy services.
The work of Dr. Katz and his team ended up dramatically shortening what would have been a much longer hospital stay with no friends or other relatives around to help the Muellers. And it likely prevented Bradley from having to undergo a surgical intervention such as having part of his lung removed.
“They became our family,” a grateful Lynda says of CHOC’s care team, which included invaluable help from members of Child Life, nursing, radiology, and other departments.
Says Brian: “Dr. Katz, along with the incredible team at Rady Children’s, didn’t just save our son’s life through their expertise and innovative procedures — they became our support system during the most challenging time our family has ever faced. They cared for Bradley as if he were their own child and stood beside us every step of the way.”
A collaborative effort
Bradley was admitted to the ED on Dec. 28, 2025.
He developed a large left-sided pleural effusion — an abnormal buildup of fluid between the tissues that line the lungs and the chest cavity — and pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, which occurs when air leaks into the space between the lungs and chest wall. The condition requires placement of a chest tube.
After nearly three weeks with the chest tube, there was no resolution of Bradley’s collapsed lung, which was caused by a bronchopleural fistula — an abnormal opening or tract connecting the bronchial airways to the cavity surrounding the lungs.
The fistula was keeping Bradley hospitalized and preventing any safe transfer home to Chicago.
Members of the Infectious Diseases team got involved, and Dr. Katz and his new interventional pulmonology (IP) colleagues were consulted. These pulmonologists look inside a child’s lungs and airways using a thin, flexible camera and specialized tools without the need for open surgery.
The minimally invasive techniques allow for safer, faster diagnosis and treatment of many airway and lung conditions.
A long trip home
On Jan. 20, Dr. Katz and his team were able to place two endobronchial valves in Bradley’s left lung that sealed his fistula and stopped the air leak. This allowed his chest tube to be removed two days later. After a few more days of close monitoring and finishing antibiotics, Bradley was discharged and able to travel home safely by train, a trip that took 40 hours.
Bradley’s entire stay at Rady Children’s was just over a month.
But there was still work to be done.
The valves Bradley received require removal a few months after placement once the fistula in his lung healed. Rady Children’s Health arranged for Bradley to see Dr. Greg Burg, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. One of only a handful of U.S. pediatric pulmonologists who is able to perform this procedure, Dr. Burg successfully removed Bradley’s valves in May.
Dr. Burg stayed in touch with the Rady Children’s Health team throughout the process. Bradley’s local pulmonologist in Chicago was pivotal in communicating between Cincinnati and Rady Children’s over the four months.
Above and beyond
Brian and Lynda say Bradley’s entire care team at CHOC went above and beyond.
A social worker quickly got them out of the hotel and at the nearby Ronald McDonald House Orange County.
One of Bradley’s nurses, Crystal Lehmann, was incredible, going out of her way to do whatever she could for Bradley, Lynda says. The family nominated Crystal for a Daisy Award, which celebrates nurses for extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care, and she won.
“Bradley’s family is wonderful and I’m glad to have been a meaningful part of his care,” Crystal says. “Our teams gained valuable knowledge from Bradley’s condition and care. What we learned through his experience has already helped us improve how we care for other patients facing similar challenges. His outcome is truly remarkable, and everyone involved was able to take something positive or learn from the experience.”
Respiratory therapist Derrick Bullock would check on Bradley daily and shoot hoops with him on a toy basketball set – even after his shift had ended. He even stopped by on his day off because he wanted to say goodbye to Bradley as he was off for a few days and wanted to wish him well… and challenge him to one more game of basketball.
Danielle Virgin, an activity specialist in the Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Department, Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Department, checks in with patients who need extra TLC and to familiarize them with the hospital setting so it doesn’t feel so scary.
She took the time to get to know the Muellers and checked in on them daily.
She learned about Bradley’s interests and the two bonded over playing Mario Kart in his room.
“He was so incredibly smart, never asked for much, and was always so grateful,” Danielle says. “I’ll never forget one of the times when I asked if he needed anything before I left for the day and all he wanted was math worksheets so he could stay upon his schoolwork.
“Knowing that he was homesick and couldn’t be with his brothers hurt my heart, so I’d do my best to be that sister figure for him.”
Danielle would always enter Bradley’s room with a lot of energy, surprise him with random things (like flying a drone into the room and crashing it into the curtains), and just be her silly self to take away the dreary feeling that hospitals sometimes bring.
“Another cool memory was that since he’s a huge Bears fan and was super excited about one of the games, his parents decided to throw a watch party in the room,” Danielle recalls. “I knew this was my time to shine so I went all out decorating his room with streamers and posters. It was epic!
“Bradley and his family were so amazing, we shed a lot of tears together, gave many, many hugs, and we created a bond that will be cherished forever.”
Says Lynda of Bradley’s team at Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County: “They just did it because they cared. What you guys have there is very special.”
Fond memories
These days, Bradley is doing great.
He’s back at school and playing basketball. The guard is on a travel team and earns straight As.
Before being discharged from Rady Children’s, Bradley was asked what he’d like for a gift.
A scrapbook, he said.
Lily Lily, the first Child Life specialist Bradley met at Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County, was with him every step of the way. She took the lead on his request and he left with a scrapbook filled with pictures and letters from everyone on his care team.
Bradley cried that day.
“I’m going to miss them so much,” he said.
Now 9, some of Bradley’s favorite memories are of his time spent at Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County.
“He wants to go back and visit someday,” Lynda says.
Adds Brian: “In our opinion, there’s no better children’s hospital in the country.”
Learn how the pulmonology department at Rady Children’s Health Orange County provides leading-edge, comprehensive treatment for a variety of pulmonary conditions such as asthma, chronic lung disease, cystic fibrosis, sleep disorders and more.
