A 7-year-old boy in Flint, Michigan, lost each of his legs after suffering what appeared like easy “body aches” last Christmas. His mother is speaking out on what happened to her son to warn parents against ignoring their child’s needs when feeling sick.
Last Christmas, Kaden began complaining to his mom, Michele Stevenson, about some pain in his leg. However the latter brushed it off, considering it was just the flu. Three days later, Kaden got rushed to the hospital affected by organ failure.
“He ended up having like, some pain in his leg. I’m considering, ‘Okay body aches, so possibly he has the flu.’ Turned out he ended up having the flu plus strep A, but strep A got into his bloodstream, which caused him to get the toxic shock,” Stevenson told local TV station WNEM this week.
Doctors at a children’s hospital in Grand Rapids diagnosed Kaden with Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS), a rare but serious infection attributable to group A streptococcus bacteria. He underwent treatments to avoid wasting his legs for weeks, but it surely was too late.
“He ended up having to get above-the-knee amputation on his right leg and a below-the-knee amputation on his left leg,” Stevenson added.
Based on the National Health Service (NHS), a step A infection commonly manifests as flu-like symptoms, including high fever, swollen glands and body aches. Other symptoms include sore throat, scabs and sores, pain and swelling, nausea and vomiting and a rough rash.
A strep A infection can turn into STSS once the bacteria spread into deep tissues and the bloodstream. When this happens, the patient can quickly suffer from low blood pressure, multiple organ failure and even death, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Nicholas Haddad said STSS may be very rare and may be deadly when left untreated. “Probably around 50 cases of toxic streptococcal shock syndrome per million people,” he said before noting that the bacteria can enter the blood through open wounds.
Stevenson wants her son’s case to function a reminder for other parents to take heed to their children and seek skilled help straight away because what may appear to be a straightforward illness might be a deadly strep disease.
“Take heed to your kids. If you happen to think they’re sick, just concentrate. Don’t self-diagnose, take them to the hospital. Let the doctors inform you that they don’t have strep,” she said.