Mapleton toddler dies of RSV
Madison Barber was 'very quiet and sweet'
By Nicole Paseka, Journal intern | Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2006
MAPLETON, IOWA -- Two-year-old Madison Barber was a "daddy's girl" with blond hair and big blue eyes.
"She looked just like her daddy," said Madison's aunt, Dondi Barber of rural Mapleton.
"Daddy would come home, and she was always right there with a smile," she said.
Tragedy struck the family early Friday morning when Bill Barber discovered Madison had died during the night.
"She was taken to the doctor's office yesterday to the family physician," Dondi Barber said. "When (Bill) woke up this morning, she was dead."
Dondi's husband, Dominic Barber, is Bill Barber's brother.
Family members said Madison had been diagnosed with RSV -- respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and toddlers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It is the leading cause of death from viral infections in infants. It's very common during the winter," said Dr. Raul Banagale, a neonatologist at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center.
Dondi Barber described her young niece as "very quiet and sweet."
"She was one of those little girls you just want to go up to and say hi to," she said.
Madison's 1-year-old brother, William Barber Jr., was hospitalized at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center on Friday in Sioux City. William could also be suffering from RSV, Dondi Barber said.
Bill Barber and Stephanie Barber were tending to their son at St. Luke's Medical Center on Friday and could not be reached for comment.
Dondi Barber said she would like families to become more knowledgeable about RSV.
"It presents itself as a common cold," she said.
Dr. Nitya Brenner of Prairie Pediatrics in Sioux City said children younger than age 5 are most vulnerable to RSV, although adults can carry it.
Symptoms of RSV include a runny nose, coughing, congestion, respiratory distress and low-grade fevers.
Children diagnosed with RSV are often given the drug Albuterol.
"It basically decreases your 'worker breathing' by expanding your lungs," Brenner said.
Madison Barber's parents recently separated, and her mother, Stephanie, is living in Smithland.
Madison and her little brother, William, were living with their father at his trailer home near 10445 Pecan Ave. in northwest Monona County when Madison died. An older daughter was not in the home at the time.
In a press release issued Friday afternoon, Monona County Sheriff Jeffrey Pratt said foul play is being ruled out in the child's death at this time. He declined to comment further until the conclusion of autopsy results.
Pat Kallas of Mapleton said Bill Barber was a concerned father who had been worried about Madison's health for awhile.
"I think she had a really bad cold or the flu. She just couldn't get over it, her dad said. She wasn't getting any better," Kallas said.
"There is nothing worse than losing a kid."
Cards, gifts and memorials in Madison Barber's memory can be mailed to 10445 Pecan Ave., Mapleton, IA 51034.
"She looked just like her daddy," said Madison's aunt, Dondi Barber of rural Mapleton.
"Daddy would come home, and she was always right there with a smile," she said.
Tragedy struck the family early Friday morning when Bill Barber discovered Madison had died during the night.
"She was taken to the doctor's office yesterday to the family physician," Dondi Barber said. "When (Bill) woke up this morning, she was dead."
Dondi's husband, Dominic Barber, is Bill Barber's brother.
Family members said Madison had been diagnosed with RSV -- respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and toddlers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It is the leading cause of death from viral infections in infants. It's very common during the winter," said Dr. Raul Banagale, a neonatologist at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center.
Dondi Barber described her young niece as "very quiet and sweet."
"She was one of those little girls you just want to go up to and say hi to," she said.
Madison's 1-year-old brother, William Barber Jr., was hospitalized at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center on Friday in Sioux City. William could also be suffering from RSV, Dondi Barber said.
Bill Barber and Stephanie Barber were tending to their son at St. Luke's Medical Center on Friday and could not be reached for comment.
Dondi Barber said she would like families to become more knowledgeable about RSV.
"It presents itself as a common cold," she said.
Dr. Nitya Brenner of Prairie Pediatrics in Sioux City said children younger than age 5 are most vulnerable to RSV, although adults can carry it.
Symptoms of RSV include a runny nose, coughing, congestion, respiratory distress and low-grade fevers.
Children diagnosed with RSV are often given the drug Albuterol.
"It basically decreases your 'worker breathing' by expanding your lungs," Brenner said.
Madison Barber's parents recently separated, and her mother, Stephanie, is living in Smithland.
Madison and her little brother, William, were living with their father at his trailer home near 10445 Pecan Ave. in northwest Monona County when Madison died. An older daughter was not in the home at the time.
In a press release issued Friday afternoon, Monona County Sheriff Jeffrey Pratt said foul play is being ruled out in the child's death at this time. He declined to comment further until the conclusion of autopsy results.
Pat Kallas of Mapleton said Bill Barber was a concerned father who had been worried about Madison's health for awhile.
"I think she had a really bad cold or the flu. She just couldn't get over it, her dad said. She wasn't getting any better," Kallas said.
"There is nothing worse than losing a kid."
Cards, gifts and memorials in Madison Barber's memory can be mailed to 10445 Pecan Ave., Mapleton, IA 51034.
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