Austin Stallman Develops Rhabdomyolysis After Nine-Mile Run and Remains Critically Ill in Texas

 A 21-year-old Texas A&M senior who was healthy before a demanding week is now critically ill after becoming disoriented halfway through a nine-mile run. Austin Stallman, the son of Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman and his wife, Jeanna, suffered heat stroke and developed rhabdomyolysis Tuesday. He is now in intensive care, with doctors working around the clock as his family waits for signs that his kidneys, liver, and other organs will respond.

The rapid change began after Austin had felt sick Sunday with what appeared to be sinus or allergy symptoms. He pushed through a difficult workout Monday before participating Tuesday in a nine-mile run that was part of a semester-long tryout for a group preparing students to become Navy SEALs. Austin made it about halfway through the run before becoming disoriented, prompting another student running with him to flag down a passing vehicle for help.

By Friday, Austin’s condition had become critical enough that his father described the situation to reporter Yvonne Mintz with The Facts. Sheriff Stallman said Austin was receiving dialysis around the clock to remove toxins from his blood and fluid from his body. Doctors were working to get his kidneys and liver to respond, trying to get his blood to properly coagulate, and conducting tests on his heart as they continued treating him in the ICU.

For his parents, the days since Tuesday have brought an agonizing wait beside their son while physicians work to help his body recover. Sheriff Stallman described Austin’s strength as a reason he remains alive at 21, but he also reflected on the determination that had helped his son push through difficult physical demands. “That’s what got him here, but that’s also what’s going to get him out of here,” his father told Mintz, expressing hope that the same determination will help Austin recover.

Austin is an Angleton High School graduate and a senior at Texas A&M. Friends describe him as a leader at the university and someone who has always cared deeply about the people around him. Those qualities have become part of the picture shared about Austin as people learn that the young man who was preparing for a demanding military-oriented program is now facing a serious medical crisis in the ICU.

Support for Austin has also taken a practical form as people respond to his need for blood. He has received multiple blood transfusions, and a blood drive in his honor is scheduled for September 19 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Brazos Valley Donor Center in College Station. Donations can also be made at other participating Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center locations and credited in Austin’s honor using group code H042.

Yet his father said the family needs something that costs nothing: prayer. He asked people to pray for Austin’s kidneys and liver to respond, for his blood to begin coagulating properly, and for his heart and the rest of his body to withstand what he has been through. The family is also asking for prayers for wisdom for every doctor and nurse caring for Austin during this critical period.

For Bo and Jeanna, the focus remains on their 21-year-old son and the hope that his condition will begin to turn. Austin went into the week as a college senior taking on a demanding physical challenge and is now critically ill in an ICU, receiving continuous dialysis and intensive medical care. His family is waiting for the signs they desperately want to see: that his body is responding, that his organs are recovering, and that he is beginning to move toward recovery.