DULUTH — A Bayfield (Wis.) County jury found Essentia Health 100% negligent in its care of a newborn who was misdiagnosed after developing an infection that caused permanent brain damage.

The Duluth-based health care system was ordered to pay Steve and Alina Galligan of Ashland, Wis., and their now 10-year-old son Johnny about $19 million for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost earnings, according to court documents.

The Galligan family thanked jurors, caregivers and supporting family in a statement delivered by their attorney Garrett Gondik.

"They say it takes a village to raise a child and that is certainly applicable to Johnny," the family said. "The community support has been heartwarming and overwhelming."

After a few days at home, Alina Galligan took Johnny to Essentia Health-Ashland Clinic because he was crying, wasn't eating and felt feverish.

Dr. Andrew D. Snider, who thought the baby was being overfed, sent Johnny home without any testing and arranged for the county nurse to visit. The nurse was concerned when she saw Johnny — and contacted the doctor's office to say the boy should be seen immediately, according to court documents. Before seeing the baby, Snider offered a prescription for acid reflux and constipation.

Snider sent Johnny for X-rays during his appointment later that day, and afterward he was lethargic and in respiratory distress. Johnny was taken down the hall to Memorial Medical Center's emergency room, where medical professionals decided he needed to be transported by helicopter to Duluth-based Essentia Health for what was believed to be a critical bowel obstruction. The team from Duluth saw that he was in respiratory failure and acidotic, and it rerouted Johnny to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis where he was diagnosed with meningitis.

Essentia Health said in a statement that it is disappointed with the verdict and stands behind the care it provided in 2013.

"We feel compassion for this family and the care team, as we recognize that cases like this are very difficult for all involved," the health care system said. "We are exploring our options regarding next steps and remain committed to delivering high-quality care to the patients and communities we are privileged to serve."

Snider, who was also named as a defendant in the malpractice lawsuit, was not found negligent by the jury.

A decade later, Johnny can't walk and uses a wheelchair. He has serious neurological issues, is almost completely deaf and blind. He seems to recognize faces, according to his attorney.

"He's doing fairly well, which I attribute to his family providing care for him," Gondik said. "They care for him 24/7. They take him swimming, on 4-wheeler rides. He's not bedridden. He has the best possible quality of life he could have, in my opinion."