Kaden Stevenson: Boy, 7, has both legs amputated after contracting flu and Strep A at the same time
FLINT, MICHIGAN: After contracting both the flu and Strep A, an athletic seven-year-old had to get both of his legs amputated. Michigan resident Kaden Stevenson's first complaint was weariness and he told his mother, Michele Stevenson, about it. But his mother dismissed it as a symptom of a typical flu.
But then his right leg swelled, a rash appeared all over his body, and his limbs were so painful he was unable to put on shoes or a coat. When his mom took him to the ER, the child was diagnosed with the life-threatening "toxic shock syndrome," which occurs when toxin-producing bacteria cause tissue damage, as per reports.
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His condition, according to experts, was brought on by the flu virus weakening his body to the point where naturally mild Strep A developed into a severe infection. Within hours, the boy was transported to a specialized hospital that was 100 kilometers away by helicopter, where doctors battled to save his life, as per reports.
But, they were unable to save his legs, and the right one had to be amputated above the knee and the left one just below. By harming blood vessels, cutting off blood flow to the hands and feet, and/or causing necrosis, toxic shock syndrome can result in amputation. For the first time in months, Kaden was greeted with smiles and cheers from the staff when he was released from the hospital this week while donning a superman cape, as reported by DailyMail.
Michele claims her 'hero' misses his playing days
His mother Michele claims that although her "hero" misses his playing days, he is eager to receive his prosthetics. The youngster enjoyed soccer and had earned his orange belt in Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art before the tragedy.
Speaking to Michigan news site WZZM13, Michele said, "I've been calling him my superhero because he is mine. She adds, "Everything that he does, he just tries so hard and never gives up. And then, even with learning how to do the wheelchair, he just takes off. When I think back to if I had done anything differently than what I had done, my son might not be here." In the end, she said, "If I had waited one more day, one more hour, he might not be here."
How did this happen?
Just before Christmas, Kaden, a student in Grand Blanc, Michigan, complained of being exhausted when he returned home from school. Michele initially dismissed it as nothing serious and let him relax. But after four days, she hurried him to Hurley Children's Hospital in Flint when it appeared that his condition was only getting worse, as per reports.
The ER doctor there told her that her son was "really sick" after giving her "the most serious look I've ever seen a doctor give me." Kaden was carried onto a helicopter and transported to Grand Rapids, Michigan's Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, more than 100 miles distant, within hours, as reported by Daily Mail.