‘Doctors thought my son was constipated – he actually had rare E.coli that left him in a coma’

Rafi was hospitalised at seven. Dean Amer, 37, father of Rafi, who contracted a 'lone case' and rare strain of E.coli - (PA)

A father has recounted the harrowing ordeal of his son, who at seven years old contracted a rare strain of E.coli, leading to a near-fatal hospitalisation where he "essentially died for 23 minutes". Dean Amer, 37, described his son Rafi's survival odds as "incalculable" but praised his "incredible" recovery.

Rafi, now nine, was sent home from school in September 2023 after vomiting, which escalated into severe cramps over two weeks. Initially, doctors misdiagnosed his condition as constipation and a stomach bug during two separate medical interventions. However, when Mr Amer, a guitar teacher from Bracknell, Berkshire, discovered blood in Rafi’s stool, an ambulance was called.