A Houston veteran dies of a treatable illness after waiting in the ICU bed

HOUSTON – Houstonian Daniel Wilkinson, who served two deployments in Afghanistan, died Sunday of treatable biliary pancreatitis after waiting seven hours to sleep in the ICU.

“There was nothing I could do to help him,” Mother Michelle Puget said through tears. “I think it’s the only thing that hurts me the most.”

Wilkinson took care of Puget while battling breast cancer in recent years, taking her to all doctor’s appointments.

On Saturday, he suddenly felt very ill. Puget took him to the emergency room across the street from his home in Bellville, just outside Houston.

The doctor diagnosed her with biliary pancreatitis and determined that she would need an ICU bed and a procedure to resolve the blockage.

“The doctor was trying to find her an ICU bed,” Puget said. He said “so far we have been denied. He said we have called Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Colorado.”

Finally, a Colorado hospital official said they had a bed and staff to take care of Wilkinson. Just before Wilkinson moved in, the family knew the Houston VA hospital could treat him as well.

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Emergency crews drove Wilkinson to the hospital by helicopter, but his organs were already being turned off.

“I think the doctors did everything they could once they got it,” Puget said. “But … it had been [seven] hours. And it’s something that needed to be taken care of right away. “

Puget said Wilkinson leaves behind brothers, a nephew, his great Danes and many friends and other relatives, including many army brothers.

He also leaves behind his girlfriend, who Puget said is currently hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia.

“It’s not going very well, especially because Danny is gone,” Puget said. “I think they would have gotten married.”

Puget called his son “a big teddy bear,” adding, “and everyone loved him.”