ESPN Star Reporter Sad News and Update

In June, ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge and her husband, former MLB player Josh Rutledge, welcomed their first child into the world, a baby boy they named Jack Rutledge. Little did they know at the time that their baby’s first Christmas would end up being a scary and stressful day.

On December 25, 2023, when Jack was just 7 months old, Laura “was hesitant” to post on X (formerly Twitter) about her son’s health scare, but she decided to post about it anyway. She explained, “Iwas hesitant to post this because I don’t want anyone to think we are asking for pity. Unlike many parents, we got to take our baby home after a hospital visit today. Praising God for that and praying for many who are handling far worse.”

Laura went on to praise the “doctors, nurses and medics working on Christmas.” While Laura did not explain exactly what the medical situation was, it must have been quite serious. She wrote, “Baby Jack was airlifted in a helicopter from Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, SC to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in Charleston. Both hospitals were so kind and acted fast.”

She gave a special shout out to the staff on “Airlink Novant Health” that helped her son and “offered reassurance at the scariest moments.” She ended the post by writing “Thank you to the strangers that stood by us today. First responders are amazing.”

@LauraRutledge via X

In a follow-up post two days later, Laura shared a picture of her son smiling and wrote a post of gratitude for “the miracle that occurred for” her son Jack. She didn’t mention what exactly the miracle was, but it seems that the situation was serious enough that they switched hospitals for a third time. She wrote, “We just received a positive report from Jack’s doctors at Connecticut Children’s.”

It also appears that the situation was serious enough that Jack had to have surgery. She wrote, “No additional surgery is required and his pain has lessened significantly.”

Laura also mentioned that while she is grateful and is happy “to see this sweet smile again” from her baby, the journey to full recovery is not over yet. She explained, “He has a long recovery ahead but they expect full healing!”