Brave mum shares heartbreaking photos of her baby boy to help other parents keep their kids safe
A BRAVE mum has shared heartbreaking photos of her little boy in order to warn other parents of the dangers of Strep A.
In December, Jessica Carnie’s son Ryan started to experience a fever.
The worried mum said her son quickly became lethargic, limp and had a non-blanching rash – one that doesn’t fade under pressure.
Jessica, who has shared her story on Instagram and on the Tiny Hearts Education page, said she knew these were ‘red flag’ symptoms and rushed her little boy to hospital where doctors revealed he was battling Strep A.
CEO of Tiny Hearts, Nikki Jurcutz, who is based in Australia thanked the ‘incredible mum’ for sharing the photos.
“She’s been incredibly selfless and wanted to raise awareness and help keep your little ones safe.”
It comes as at least 36 children across the UK have died of invasive Group Strep A this winter – a serious illness where the bacteria gets into the blood stream.
In rare cases, it can trigger serious illnesses including pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.
In little Ryan’s case, his infection quickly turned into sepsis and caused him to go into septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).
Medics said he was lucky to have survived.
But as sepsis ravaged his little body, doctors were forced to amputate his legs due to the damage caused by the infection.
During the ordeal, Ryan suffered a cardiac arrest.
Recalling the incident eight weeks later, Jessica said: “For a whole month everyday I remember being told- ‘I’m really sorry he didn’t make it, he went into cardiac arrest and they are doing CPR’.
What are the symptoms of invasive group Strep A disease?
There are four key signs of Group Strep A to watch out for, according to the NHS. These are:
- A fever (meaning a high temperature above 38°C)
- Severe muscle aches
- Localised muscle tenderness
- Redness at the site of a wound
The invasive version of the disease happens when the bacteria break through the body’s immune defences.
This can happen if you’re already feeling unwell or have an immune system that’s weakened.
“A whole month of running out and seeing CPR done on my baby screaming and begging for them not to stop, this lasted 10 minutes and then I heard the words ‘we got him back’.
“Ryan has come such long way in just a month, many doctors still amazed that he survived.
“I still can’t believe a simple strep a infection had turned into severe septic shock syndrome”, she added.
CEO of Tiny Hearts, Nikki said that as a first aider, she’s had lots of questions about the rise in cases of Strep A.
“Strep A is common and usually mild. It becomes very dangerous when the bacteria invades a part of the body such as the blood, brain or heart, like it did with Ryan,” she said.
The expert explained that a fever with other red flag symptoms such as severe muscle aches or tenderness should all ‘set alarm bells off’.
She added: “Look at the number on your thermometer and then assess your child for any critical signs present.
“Being educated about red flags is essential for every parent. The earlier you can identify the signs, the better chance you give your child.”
