Weiss' son released from hospital

Braves shortstop set to make 1st All-Star appearance

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Posted: Friday July 03, 1998 10:43 PM

Walt Weiss was relived to find out that his son, Brody, was released two weeks earlier than expected (AP)

ATLANTA (AP) -- Atlanta Braves shortstop Walt Weiss' 3-year-old son, Brody, stricken with a potentially deadly E. coli infection, was released from the hospital more than two weeks earlier than initially expected.

Brody Weiss, who underwent dialysis treatment when his kidneys suffered 50 percent failure, was released from Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center on Thursday night.

"It was great to have him home again," Weiss said Friday, before the Braves defeated the New York Mets 3-2 at Turner Field.

Weiss, a former Colorado Rockies player, was planning to go directly to the hospital when the Braves returned home from a three-game series at Tampa Bay. But then he learned his son was being released.

"At best, we were hoping for sometime this weekend," said the All-Star shortstop, who was surprised "big time" when he found his son would be coming home.

Brody Weiss was one of at least 20 children who contracted the virus while swimming in a kiddie pool at White Water, a suburban Atlanta water park. Brody was at the park with his parents and two brothers on June 11, an off day for the Braves.

No one else in the family was affected by the outbreak, which apparently was caused when a sick child defecated in the pool.

It took more than a week before Brody's condition was diagnosed. He was hospitalized on June 20, and his father missed six games to be with his son.

Originally, Weiss said doctors expected Brody to be hospitalized for at least a month, but his condition improved rapidly. While still suffering the effects of the illness, the youngster is expected to make a full recovery.

Weiss, meanwhile, can attend the All-Star Game in Denver next Tuesday without worrying about the health of his son. The shortstop, hitting .320 prior to Friday's game, was voted by the fans as a starter for the National League, the first All-Star appearance of his 11-year career.

"If I was only going to make it to one All-Star Game in my career, this is the one I would pick," Weiss said. "The All-Star Game probably would have been meaningless if Brody's condition had not improved. But it has improved."

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