A young family has shared the harrowing experience of almost losing their young son after he had to be put into paediatric intensive care over Christmas last year.
Corey King, was just 18 months old when he was rushed to hospital on Boxing Day in December 2021 after suffering from a high temperature and becoming unwell. Heroic mum Aimee, 31, rang 111 after she noticed that her son was turning grey and that Calpol had not helped to reduce his temperature.
He was then taken to Edinburgh’s Sick Kids and was triaged immediately. His heart rate and temperature were abnormally high and his blood sugar levels extremely low. At first medical professionals though that the cause may have been tonsillitis but blood tests highlighted that his red and white blood cell counts and iron levels were very low.
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The infection began to escalate and Corey was admitted and started a course of antibiotics. Mum Aimee, 31, recalls: “On Boxing Day Corey seemed unwell, he had a high temperature and was quiet but we weren’t too concerned. The next day we rang 111 as we couldn’t get his temperature down despite using Calpol, and he was grey. I had an awful feeling and took him immediately to A&E.”
“He seemed to get sick extremely fast from then,” said Aimee. “We were told by the doctors at the hospital that he had sepsis which had developed from streptococcus pneumoniae and haemophilus influenzae infections.
“He was shivering uncontrollably, both his hands and feet took on a mottled look, and he wasn’t passing urine either.”
Four days after the family were celebrating Christmas, Corey was put into the paediatric intensive care unit where his health began to quickly deteriorate. He had to be put into an induced coma to try to lessen the stress levels that his body was under.
He then was given three platelet transfusions as well as medication to control his blood pressure. The little soldier had to battle a high temperature for over two weeks.
Aimee recalls “His lymph nodes ballooned whilst he was in the PICU, and he looked triple his normal size. It’s something you read about and don’t expect it to happen to your loved one. Then the fear of the unknown took over: all of us were terrified Corey wouldn’t pull through.”
Further tests were carried out by those at the hospital, with a bone marrow biopsy ruling out leukaemia, and a lumbar puncture confirming that the young boy did not have meningitis. Thankfully Corey recovered and was discharged from hospital in January 2022 after spending 27 days being cared for.
He was, however, fitted with a central line into his chest to continue blood tests and monitor the number of neutrophil white blood cells when he was home -neutrophils are a white blood cell that helps your immune system fight infections and heal injuries.
Aimee hadn’t heard of Sepsis Research FEAT until she shared what had happened to Corey on her social media channel and was put in touch with the charity. She says “I want other families to be aware of the symptoms and also how quickly sepsis can take over. If we had sat at home a day longer then our story probably wouldn’t be a positive one unfortunately.
“Familiarise yourself with the signs and symptoms. Think could it be sepsis? Then it is safer to get checked than wait!”
Scotland-based charity, Sepsis Research FEAT, say that sepsis takes the lives of approximately five people every hour in the UK. They add that it occurs when the body’s response to an infection spirals rapidly out of control, injuring its own tissues and organs which can result in multiple organ failure and death.
According to them, the five key symptoms of sepsis everyone should know are:
Confusion
Not passing as much urine as normal
Very high or low temperature
Uncontrolled shivering
Cold or blotchy arms and legs
Sepsis can be hard to recognise and diagnose because, in its early stages, it can have similar symptoms to common winter conditions like the flu and chest infections. However, if someone has any of the key symptoms becoming noticeably worse, this could indicate sepsis and urgent medical attention should be sought.
It can also be hard for people with sepsis to spot the signs in themselves as their health may deteriorate rapidly and they could become confused. Sepsis Research FEAT is urging people to look out for others this Christmas and seek medical attention on their behalf.
Colin Graham, Chief Operating Officer at Sepsis Research FEAT, said: “Sepsis is an indiscriminate, deadly condition that can kill a previously healthy adult or child in a matter of hours. It is vital that everyone knows the symptoms so they can seek medical treatment in time.
“Cases of sepsis could be mistaken for the flu because the early symptoms are sometimes similar, particularly around Christmas time and the winter months when flu is more common. The difference is that these symptoms worsen rapidly when sepsis is the cause.
“The most important thing is to react fast and seek medical attention because this can improve chances of survival.
“Please support our campaign this Christmas to help spread the word about sepsis and how to recognise the symptoms. If you have personal experience of the condition then please consider sharing your story online using #StopSepsisNow.
“You can also take part in fundraising to support us to continue our work raising awareness of sepsis and funding ground-breaking research to help save lives.”
For more information about Sepsis Research FEAT and the charity’s Christmas campaign, click here.
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