Brian Sims

A Greenwood coach and instructor is fighting a medical battle tonight in the burn unit at the Hill Crest Medical Center in Tulsa after contacting a rare skin disorder usually associated with reactions from prescription drugs.

Brian Sims, a Benton High School alumni who joined the Greenwood staff in 2012 after a head coaching stint at Gosnell, is battling Steven Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, a rare and often fatal skin disorder that “burns” the skin and causes all types of reactions.

Sims is an assistant varsity football coach and varsity track coach for the school district.

Sims’ symptoms initially started with a with a small rash on his leg that he treated as if it were poison ivy. In a short matter of time, the symptoms started spreading and the disease, for which there is no known cure, advance into a critical stage.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis usually begins one to three weeks after the start of a new prescription drug (if caused by a drug) with fever, headache, cough, inflammation of the cornea in the eyes, and body aches.

It is accompanied by a flat red rash breaks out on the face, neck, and trunk, often spreading later to the rest of the body in an irregular pattern.

The areas of rash enlarge and spread, often forming blisters in their center. The skin of the blisters is very loose and easy to rub off, and the blisters peel off over a period of one to three days.

In order to offset some of the expenses incurred by the family, a helmet will be passed at the Bulldog spring game on May 18 and a car wash-fundraiser has been scheduled for Sunday, May 21, starting at noon in Greenwood at the Farmers Bank located on Main Street.

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