A woman saved her young son’s life after spotting a rare sign of sepsis and getting him the treatment he needed.
Alexandra realised that a faint red mark on her son’s wrist could be a symptom of the potentially deadly blood condition.
Eight-year-old Ewan fell over when he was at the zoo and hurt his hand, but it wasn’t until the mark appeared a week later that Alexandra’s concerns began to grow.
Doctors quickly confirmed that Ewan had a sepsis infection, a condition which kills around 15,000 people in England every year.
They placed him on antibiotics and he has already made a full recovery – thanks to the quick and decisive actions of his mum.
Alexandra, a law firm director from Jersey, posted about the scary ordeal on Facebook to warn other parents about the dangers of sepsis.
‘A week or so ago the littlest fell over at the zoo,’ she wrote.
‘He took quite a bashing but once we got home I cleaned him up.
‘I rang school on farm school day to make sure he washed his hands after digging and I tried hard to ensure it was kept clean (hand and elbow). He’s an eight-year-old boy however.
‘The wounds didn’t look infected – they’d got bigger so I was concerned but they weren’t gunky etc. Yesterday on our way to the beach he showed me his hand.
‘I wasn’t happy as I noticed red tracking down his vein. I then checked his elbow – the same. I took him down to the out of hours feeling a bit silly but when the doctor saw it he commended me on recognising it and getting down ASAP.
‘This is blood poisoning/sepsis. It isn’t something you can leave until Monday when the doctors are back in the office.
‘Thankfully the antibiotics are working and he is well in himself! If you spot this red line running from a wound along the vein get yourself/your child seen straight away.
‘Hopefully my post might help someone the way my friend’s post from two years ago helped me.’
The picture showed the telltale marks that led to the diagnosis.
There was a small red line going from the bottom of Ewan’s forearm and stretching to his wrist. There was also a black mark on the red line which was made by the doctor, who then told Alexandra that if the mark increased width she was to bring him back.
Alexandra’s post has been shared more than 35,000 times and loads of people commented to say how thankful they were that Alexandra had brought this important issue up.
‘Wow scary, thanks for posting and glad he’s on the mend!’ said one.
‘Gosh, well done Alex for spotting it and getting medical attention. Glad Ewan is recovering well,’ added another.
Speaking today, Alexandra said she knew the mark was something to act on, but didn’t initially realise the severity of it.
‘I wasn’t actually that shocked, but just didn’t think it was as serious as that,’ she said.
‘My friends told me to make people aware as the wounds weren’t very gunky. A couple of them wanted me to share it and it just snowballed from there.
‘It’s an example of social media being used for good. Ewan was at school on Monday and then took part in a triathlon the following week.’
Dee Carruther, who set up Mannin Sepsis after her 18-year-old daughter died from the condition, praised Alexandra’s quick response.
‘Most mums will know when there is something wrong with their children. I think we’ve got to take it into our own hands and ask more questions from our doctors.
‘It was called the hidden killer, but we’re getting better at spotting it and treating it quickly.
‘People need to look out for the symptoms and go with their gut if they feel unsure.’
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