Boy ‘With Flu’ Loses Both His Legs While In Come After It Turned Out To Be Sepsis

Ethan Hunt is a school boy that loved to ride his bicycle, but sadly he had to go into surgery and have both his legs amputated. The reason for such a drastic measure was that his condition turned out to be sepsis—a very serious diagnosis that happens to be life-threatening; it can easily cause the vital organs to fail and lead to death.

16-year-old Ethan had to be put in medically induced coma; therefore, he is still unaware that he lost his limbs.

The boy’s aunt and uncle—Nicola and Ben—have already created a campaign at GoFundMe to raise money so that they can eventually supply their nephew with prosthetic legs. They wrote that the campaign’s sole purpose is to raise funds for the boy and his family.

Apparently, it all began on the 3rd of February (Saturday) with light flu symptoms, and they thought that it was really nothing more severe than the flu. But five days later, Ethan was rushed to the hospital and was almost immediately put in a coma. The boy suffered three cardiac arrests, and the sepsis diagnosis was confirmed.

The teenager was scheduled for a chest scan because the doctors wanted to know if there was something else that they did not find during the previous check up with a hand scanner.

He was checked into the ICU and was attached to a lot of medical appliances, because at the time he also suffered from pneumonia and respiratory failure. A special machine was set up at Wythenshawe Hospital where Ethan was sent—where he still remains in critical condition.

On the 12th of February (Monday), both of his legs had to be amputated below the knee. His aunt and uncle added that they need all the help they can get to raise money for the family and the very special young man who just needs to get through this and then enjoy the life that he is expecting.

Ethan’s sister, 24-year-old Jodie, said that her brother felt nauseous and had typical flu symptoms for a few days, but at one point he suddenly got worse and had to be taken to the hospital immediately. Upon arrival at the hospital, his skin had already developed a huge purple rash all over his entire body.

Jodie said that just ten minutes after Ethan was taken to the A&E department of the Royal Blackburn Hospital, he had his first cardiac arrest. He was later transferred to Manchester’s Wythenshaw Hospital because he was not showing any signs of improvement.

Ethan’s sister added that, upon their arrival, there they were shocked to learn that Ethan had no pulse in his feet—and the limbs were amputated Monday night. The teenager is still in a state of induced coma because of the cardiac arrest.

Jodie said that Ethan loved sports and especially cycling, and she and her family are worried about how Ethan will take the news of his amputation. The boy apparently worked in two places just to be able to buy a bicycle for himself.

Jodie was still shocked by the devastating turn of events, but the amputation had to be done in order to remove the sepsis.

Jodie says that the NHS did an amazing job; she said that once you have been on the other side of things and see the pressure that these people put up with, you probably would not judge them regarding the waiting time or the struggle to book an appointment with a specialist.

The young woman added that the doctors did everything they could to save her brother and that she is beyond grateful for that.

The website of the NHS says there are about 123,000 cases of sepsis a year in England, and close to 1/3 of these people lose their lives.

The site also says that the initial symptoms of the condition include a high or low temperature, shivering and chills, accelerated heartbeat, and fast breathing. Parents of children under the age of 5 should observe them—and if they notice that the kids are becoming lethargic and/or the skin turns bluish or pale and is rather could to touch—medical attention must be sought. If the child is breathing fast, that is also cause for concern. In many cases, a rash also occurs, and it does not fade away if the skin is pressed.

Ethan’s relatives have no idea when he will come out of the induced coma, but according to the medical staff he is doing better and they are gradually lowering the medication dose.