The parents of a 14-year-old in Tennessee were forced to make a tough decision this week, opting to amputate all of their son’s feet and hands after his typical flu-like symptoms quickly turned deadly.
Mathias Uribe, of Tennessee, has been hospitalized at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt since he began feeling deathly ill on June 30.
According to WSMV, Mathias Uribe was diagnosed with pneumonia and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome and went into cardiac arrest.
Doctors put the teen on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine to keep the blood in his body pumping. He was on the ECMO machine for two weeks, giving his heart and lungs a chance to rest, the media outlet reported.
However, the boy’s father, Edgar Uribe, shared that while it saved his life, the proper amount of blood was not flowing to his extremities, resulting in doctors having to remove them.
Edgar Uribe shared that his son’s hands were removed at the wrist, and his legs were removed from below the knee.
“I told him, ‘We are going to be your arms and legs until we figure all of this out,’” Edgar Uribe told the outlet. He added that they hope their son can soon leave the hospital with prosthetic limbs.
Dr. Katie Boyle, an ICU pediatrician and the head of Mathia’s care team, shared with WSMV that nothing could have been done as this situation is “extremely rare.”
“Sometimes, when you get the flu, it does set you up for a bacterial infection. But even then, most kids don’t get nearly as sick as Mathias did,” Boyle said.
Boyle advised parents to keep an eye on their children’s health, checking while they are sick for high fevers, trouble swallowing fluids, and other symptoms that could result in a hospital trip.
Mathias’ parents shared that he is expected to remain in the hospital for another month after undergoing dozens of surgeries.
“You are going to have an amazing life,” Catalina Uribe said she told her son. “You are going to go to MIGT. You are going to do whatever you want to do. You don’t have limits because you are here, Mathias. You are here.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been started for the family to help cover the teen’s medical costs.