HUEYTOWN, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) – As an 11-year-old boy fights for his life in the intensive care unit of an Alabama hospital, his family and the entire community are praying for a Christmas miracle.

Jace Watkins, a fifth grader at Hueytown Intermediate School, felt sick Thursday, but on Friday, by all accounts, he was a happy and healthy child. His family says he was running around, telling everyone he felt fine.

Then, things took a devastating turn overnight. Jace stopped breathing for about 15 minutes Saturday before he was rushed to Children’s Hospital, where he was put in the ICU, relying on a ventilator as doctors worked to stabilize him.

Jace’s family says the 11-year-old is suffering from swelling in his brain that has not subsided, preventing adequate oxygen from reaching the organ. His grandparents say his condition worsened late Tuesday night when he began experiencing seizures and briefly flatlined.

HUEYTOWN, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) – As an 11-year-old boy fights for his life in the intensive care unit of an Alabama hospital, his family and the entire community are praying for a Christmas miracle.

Jace Watkins, a fifth grader at Hueytown Intermediate School, felt sick Thursday, but on Friday, by all accounts, he was a happy and healthy child. His family says he was running around, telling everyone he felt fine.

Then, things took a devastating turn overnight. Jace stopped breathing for about 15 minutes Saturday before he was rushed to Children’s Hospital, where he was put in the ICU, relying on a ventilator as doctors worked to stabilize him.

Jace’s family says the 11-year-old is suffering from swelling in his brain that has not subsided, preventing adequate oxygen from reaching the organ. His grandparents say his condition worsened late Tuesday night when he began experiencing seizures and briefly flatlined.