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Little Mia Wilkinson may only be six years old, but her story may already extend over many lives. Little Mia is a pocket rocket that, despite her young age, is one of the bravest people you've ever met.
Mia could have been another victim of the deadly flu epidemic. This year, the numbers are scary – it's not just the sick and the elderly, but the young and healthy. Australia is currently experiencing the second season of the deadliest flu ever recorded. More than 130 000 cases have already been reported and more than 230 deaths have been recorded.
Just a year and a half ago, Mia was a happy, healthy girl, full of beans, who was learning to ride a bike. Then, a few hours after catching the flu, she fought for her life. Her parents, Peter and Amy, were forced to make the most distressing decision: to let the doctors amputate her four limbs.
Amy and Peter share their story now because they want other parents to know that something that started with the flu can quickly become worse.
"It hurts to know it could have been different," said Peter, Melissa Doyle. "If you were taking antibiotics earlier, she would probably be just a normal child right now, it's the time between when you get sick and when you get diagnosed, it's so important." If she had started treatment a day earlier, we would not do it. " to be talking to you. "
Influenza is an alarming complication among doctors. To fight the infection, the body releases chemicals into the immune system that, in some people, cause serious organic damage. This is what is called sepsis and it is so deadly that you will almost certainly be dead within 24 hours if you are not treated.
Professor Simon Finfer is one of the world's leading experts on sepsis. He has just made an alarming discovery: sepsis is six times more prevalent than previously reported.
"We can say for sure that there are one hundred thousand episodes of sepsis in Australia each year," says Professor Finfer. "Of these, at least 13,000 will result in death, which is a figure significantly higher than we thought."
All cases of sepsis are not caused by the flu – you can also get it by something as simple as a cut – but these revised numbers have sounded the alarm in Australia . As in the case of Mia, many doctors did not understand the warning signs.
"The problem with sepsis is that the first signs are something that looks like flu," says Professor Finfer. "If you are a general practitioner, your work will be very difficult, because the majority of people diagnosed as such by the flu will have the flu and will get better.This can progress quickly …"
At age four, Mia Wilkinson was like any other young child. But then, on a Friday afternoon in October 2017, Mia told her mother that she had a stomach ache.
"She vomited around 5 pm," Amy recalls. "So all right, it looks like it's gastro, we've already seen it, we do not worry about dinner, we put it in bed." At night, it was very hot and Saturday morning, it looks like she's not right, I'll take her to the doctor. "
"The doctor listened to his belly and said it looked like gastro, diarrhea, it was Saturday morning."
Mia was sent home. But on Saturday afternoon, she got worse. Worried, Amy took her directly to the emergency room.
"They examined her and diagnosed her with B-flu and viral meningitis, an inflammation of the muscles," says Amy. "[They] said go home and rest. "
"I would like to go back and ask questions, you know," Peter adds.
"We had this feeling of bowel. Should we have been stronger? But we do not really push people.
"We had that gut feeling," says Amy. "Should we have been stronger, but we are not really pushing people."
It's Sunday night. Mia is in bed, always sick. She always has a temperature and she is lethargic, does not eat and does not drink. Amy goes to see her daughter and when she takes off the covers, she notices a very pale purple rash on her legs.
"If she wore leggings, I would not have seen her," Amy recalls in tears. "It would just be horrible but I saw the rash, and I took her in. I think that a nurse came past her and she saw Mia and me. beckoned to get through. "
"You get there, and it was very obviously serious," Peter says. "There are doctors everywhere, nurses everywhere, and Mia is crying because she is in pain and we can not do anything."
"She had influenza A, influenza B, RSV, which is another virus, [and] Invasive Streptococcus A bacterial infection that has resulted in sepsis, "says Amy.
Mia's body fights its infection by releasing chemicals. However, instead of helping, these chemicals kill it.
"His lungs started to struggle because organs are closing," says Amy. "His lungs were struggling, so they say," We have to intubate. This is not a pleasant procedure, you might just want to go for a cup of tea. "We were coming back and I heard them shout," We are losing it! " [My] The heart stopped and shouted at Pete: "Peter, we're losing it!" So, we are both standing there and the big machine [is] pumping to bring her back. We are so lucky that she has come back. "
Despite all the difficulties, Mia is still alive, but far from danger.
Dr. Luregn Schlapbach is a sepsis specialist at Queensland Children's Hospital. When Mia was rushed into the pediatric intensive care unit, he immediately knew that it would be tactile and would go if she would succeed.
"She was very sick," recalls Dr. Schlapbach. "She had several support organs, and we did not know if she would survive, she had what we call septic shock, when the sepsis is so strong that the heart has trouble pumping enough blood to the different organs. "
"It was 36 to 40 hours that we were in intensive care and very sick, we realized that she was in danger of losing some of the limbs." We were still not sure at this point if she would survive . "
Mia's blood pressure was extremely low. She was taking medication to keep her high enough to support her brain and vital organs, but the blood still did not reach her limbs.
"It started with your fingertips," Peter recalls with emotion. "[They] fell into the dark, then it became black and slipped. I can not describe. "
Amy and Peter were faced with a decision that no parent should have to take. The doctors announced that the best thing to do was to amputate them with black Mia members.
"You can not send a child and do not tell them that they are going to have their arms amputated.
"I remember when we had to tell him," Amy said, crying. "We will not tell him, you can not send a child or tell him that they are going to have their arms amputated." At first you could see them, but then, more and more, they were more and more black and dying and packed them so that you would not be able to see them. [We had to tell her] they can not save your hands and feet. They can not make them better. She was angry; "I do not want them to take my hands." "
"She's like 'How will I play with Ellie?' Peter adds.
"Yes," Amy answers. "And you said:" We will find new ways. "
Just weeks after her admission to the hospital, Mia was amputated with both arms under her elbow.
"I remember the day she had her hands amputated," recalls Peter. "She was in bed and she just started crying, I said:" What's wrong? " She said: "I did not want them to take me by the hand." I said, "I know, I did not want them to take you by the hand, but they could not improve them, we're going to get you new hands, they're not going to be the same anymore." but we will work IT out. "
Amy and Peter were allowed to take their daughter home for the holidays just days before the next inevitable surgery. As in Mia's arms, sepsis caused irreparable damage to the blood vessels in her legs, causing tissue death.
"We took her home [so] we could have Christmas at home, which was good but difficult, "says Amy with tears in her eyes. Christmas should not be like that. "
"Then she returned for her leg amputation operation on January 3."
While Mia tragically lost her arms and legs, Amy and Peter consider it a blessing that she is always with them.
"I think every day," says Peter. "When I think or pictures come up, they're horrible, look at them and it's okay, she's here."
One thing you learn very quickly about Mia is that she is totally determined to do everything for herself.
If there is a limit to what Mia can do, she has not found it yet. She learned to draw and write without hands and to walk on artificial legs.
"She is approaching the age where she will look around her, see other children and say," Why did that happen? "
"She is approaching the age when she will look around her, see other children and say to herself:" Why? " Confess Peter. "Why did that happen? We are worried about that moment."
But for the moment, everything is fine. When Mia returned to her clbadmates, there was a lot of encouragement.
"One of the things that surprised us most is the other kids, Mia is like," I'm really sick, I had to cut my hands and feet, "and the kids, they'll hear that and then they'll go a little bit, 'Okay' and then they play. "
Every day, a new challenge arises and each day Mia is ready to take up the challenge, especially with regard to her favorite sport, swimming.
"She can swim," smiled Amy. "She will swim and then she will turn around and float to catch her breath, then swim a little or lift her head and catch her breath."
"We have modified pinball machines for her with an old type of silicone holder.We found another tool that could help her.It put them, Phwoar … She loved it.It's so good."
If Peter and Amy want one-piece advice, that's what follows.
"If your child is the sickest you've ever seen, tell the doctor you're talking to.
"If your child is the sickest you've ever seen, tell the doctor you're talking to," Peter insists. "Tell that to the medical staff, just tell them," I have never seen my child so sick, "make them understand how bad it is, and get vaccinated. not that. "
"If she had just had a flush of flu, it could have been different."
In Australia, we see more than 500 children each year requiring intensive care because of sepsis and more than 50 children die each year, "said Dr. Luregn Schlapbach. It's more than just kids dying from the aftermath of a road accident. Sepsis is a very big problem and we can fix it. We can try to recognize it earlier, and we can try to treat it earlier and better. "
Amy and Peter are realistic. They know that the road is difficult.
"There is a fear of the future," says Peter. "What does it hold, what is it going to be able to do and how will it work?" Like all parents, we just want our children to be happy [and] smile."
"I think I'll always be sad," says Amy. "I think you'll always do it, but then, the pride is huge, how can others not? It's tangible, that pride."
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Mia Wilkinson is facing an uncertain future. His prostheses become too big every six months and they are very expensive. If you can help, please visit www.movementformia.org. All donations are tax deductible.
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Peter and Amy want families to know the symptoms of sepsis. Tell your doctor immediately if you or a loved one have any of the following:
- Fast breathing and heart rate
- Confusion and speech difficulties
- Do not urinate
- Skin discolored or rash
- Extremely sick
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