Boy, 16, has both hands and feet amputated after doctors discovered the true cause of his ‘tickly throat’

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.

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.

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.