'LIVING NIGHTMARE'
Boy, 16, has both hands and feet amputated after doctors discovered the true cause of his ‘tickly throat’
How a common bacteria lead to Mason Jones suffering a rare and life-threatening infection
A TEENAGE boy had both his hands and feet amputated after a 'tickly throat' turned into a rare, life-threatening infection.
Mason Jones, 16, was diagnosed with strep throat in April last year and was sent home with antibiotics.
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But within 24 hours of leaving the doctor's, his mum Charde McMillan knew something was seriously wrong.
Though he'd had typical strep throat symptoms beforehand - a sore throat, fever and fatigue - Mason's lips turned purple and "he had these purple blotches all over his skin", Charde told .
In a chain of events that the mum described as a "living nightmare", Mason, from West Virginia, was airlifted to University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, where he was diagnosed with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS).
This is a rare but serious infection caused the bacteria group A streptococcus, which most commonly leads to strep throat.
Read more on group a strep
But group A strep can cause STSS when they hey spread into deep tissues and the bloodstream, according to the (CDC).
The infection often begins with a fever and chills, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting.
But symptoms can quickly get more serious within a day or two, as sufferers begin to experience a dangerous drop in blood pressure, fast heart rate and organ failure.
Patients experiencing dangerously low blood pressure are sometimes put on drugs called vasopressors, which direct blood flow to vital organs but can lead to poor circulation in extremities.
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In Mason's case, there was no blood supply in his hands and feet, causing them to blacked and become "mummified".
Charde told : “He developed what’s called necrotising fasciitis, which is a complication of the invasive infection.";
The then 15-year-old had to have both his hands amputated on June 6, 2023, roughly four inches up his arm.
“I felt like I was losing my mind. I felt like I was living in a nightmare like it wasn’t real," Charde recalled.
"The day that he had his hands amputated it became very very real for us. I did not know that level of crying was possible."
Barely a month later, on July 15, doctors also removed both Mason's legs just bellow the knee.
Battling for his life, Mason was just three days shy of his 16th birthday.
The necrotising fasciitis, a rare and life threatening "flesh eating disease" that can happen if wound gets infected, chewed through about 60 percent of Mason's skin.
What is necrotising fasciitis?
Necrotising fasciitis is a flesh-eating disease that happens if a wound gets infected.
It’s rare, and needs to be treated in hospital straight away.
The first signs of the illness are:
- Intense pain or loss of feeling near to a cut or wound – the pain may seem much worse than you would usually expect from a cut or wound
- Swelling of the skin around the affected area
- Flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headache and tiredness
Later symptoms may include:
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
- Confusion
- Black, purple or grey blotches and blisters on the skin (these may be less obvious on black or brown skin)
You should go to A&E or call 999 if you have a cut which is more painful than expected, you have a wound and symptoms like a temperature or headache, you suddenly feel confused, or you have black, purple or grey blotches near a cut or wound.
Necrotising fasciitis gets worse quickly and can be fatal.
Treatments usually include antibiotics and surgery to remove the infected area.
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As a result, the 16-year-old needed three skin grafting surgeries and care from a specialised burn unit at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio.
Mason also had to have his tailbone removed, as the "disease ate all the way from the skin down to the bone", Charde told .
She described experiencing unbearable "physical and emotional pain" watching her son lie helpless as his body was ravaged by infections.
Mason underwent physical therapy for six months and was eventually released from hospital on October 11 last year.
But he's been back in hospital several times battling osteomyelitis, inflammation of the bone as a result of an infection.
Mason is now waiting to be fitted for leg prosthetics and begin intensive physical therapy to learn how to walk again.
But Charde said her son has been managing to text and game without his hands, and has even talked about becoming a doctors to help people through the ordeal he went through.
The teen now needs full time care, meaning his parents haven't been able to work so they can tend to his needs.
Mason's family has set up a page to raise money for his medical bills and other expenses.
Despite everything, Charde said her son has managed to stay positive, bolstering himself and his family through tough times.
"He's just grateful to be alive and have survived something that's really not survivable," she said.
"It really gives him the determination and perseverance to learn to do things in a new way now and adjust to this new way of life.'
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'He's not letting anything stop him or hold him back. There's no "I can't" right now. He just goes for it. He's not scared to try anything.
"He's an amazing kid. He's a miracle. They gave him a one percent chance of survival and he beat the odds."
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