Ryan Lines: One-year-old boy loses ‘perfect little legs’ after contracting deadly Strep A infection
NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA: A healthy and happy one-year-old boy lost his little legs and might lose his fingers after contracting a deadly bacterial infection surging across the country.
Little Ryan Lines' body was ravaged by a Strep A infection that started as a runny nose but rapidly became deadly as it made him go into septic shock. His parents, Jessica and Sam, rushed him to a hospital at Broken Hill, in western NSW, where he went into cardiac arrest for 10 minutes on Wednesday, December 8. Thanks to the doctor’s relentless efforts, Lines was alive but his parents were told that he would sustain brain damage and lose parts of his face as well as his legs and hands.
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During his treatment, Lines' condition deteriorated rapidly, prompting him to be flown to the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide for treatment, where he has been for the past 62 days. Recently, the brave little boy underwent urgent surgery to amputate both his legs below the knee and is scheduled to have another surgery, where doctors will remove his fingertips and possibly some fingers.
Why did doctors amputate Ryan Line's legs?
Speaking about Lines' condition, Jessica described her horror after witnessing a simple virus developing into a potentially deadly condition. "I noticed Ryan had a runny nose, and temperature, and was very limp and lethargic. This is what made me take him to the hospital," she told Daily Mail, adding, "After he cardiac arrested, we were told that we could be looking at worst case, where Ryan would have to serve brain damage, lose parts of his face and his full legs and hands - thankfully that's not the case."
Jessica continued by saying, "[Ryan] struggled with a collapsed lung and also had to have dialysis treatment a few times to help his kidneys, many doctors are amazed at how good his heart is." Before the toddler's surgery, his family "couldn't even comprehend" that his "perfect little feet" would be amputated, his mother said. "The doctors aren't sure if they will leave the fingers as is or do a surgery to help regenerate new cells and skin by sewing Ryan's fingers inside his stomach/groin for a few weeks - this will hopefully be able to give him more length to his fingers," Jessica reportedly said.
Jessica added, "Our little boy is such a miracle but the reality is that Ryan was very very sick. We aren't sure what Ryan's future looks like but we know we will try our hardest to give him the best life possible. Everyone is so surprised that he survived, and the outcome has been more positive then what we thought it would be."
A fundraising page was also set up on Lines' family’s behalf to raise money for future medical bills. The GoFundMe page had raised $105,592 at the time of publication.
How Strep A infection affected Australia
Lines' case was reported amid a concerning rise in potentially deadly Strep A infections sweeping the nation. According to data from the Department of Health's National Communicable Diseases Surveillance Dashboard, Australia reported more than 1,163 Strep A cases in 2022. Queensland, NSW and Victorian were seeing a spike in Strep A cases among children. In most cases, individuals contracted the same by coughing, sneezing or talking.
Medical experts reportedly said that the infection became deadly because of a toxin that can make its way into the skin or blood, causing irreparable damage. Those who go into septic shock, as in little Lines' case, can develop small blood clots, preventing blood from flowing to the hands, fingers, toes and feet. Once this happens, the tissue begins to turn black and dies, requiring amputation.