A family in New York is hoping to raise awareness ofsepsisafter the death of their 12-year-old son.
He ended up developing the life-threatening complication after his cut became infected.
The next day, Rory had a high fever, so his parents took him to the pediatrician.
Courtesy of the Rory Staunton Foundation
He was very weak, Orlaith says.
He was leaning on me coming into the pediatricians office.
However, his fever stayed high and he seemed to get worse overnight.
His parents called his pediatrician again, who said her main concern was that he get fluids.
That evening, he began to turn yellow and his nose was turning blue.
He was rushed back to the hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU.
He died there on a Sunday night, less than a week after he fell in his class.
We are waking up every morning in a nightmare, Rorys father, Ciaran, tells SELF.
Our beautiful boy would have been 18 this past May.
He would be going to college.
Basically, any infection can turn into sepsis if it progresses to that stage, he says.
That’s one reason whythe Mayo Clinic recommendscleaning all your cuts and scrapesnot just bandaging them up.
Sepsis typically progresses over a matter of days, and it can appear to move quickly with children.
But when they do exhibit symptoms, they can become severe very quickly.
The initial symptoms of illness will typically be related to the infection.
That can progress to shock and organ failure, he says.
Sepsis is a progressive infection, which means the sooner you get a diagnosis the better.
Of course, simply getting any wound doesnt mean youre automatically going to develop sepsis.
You dont need to panicyou just need to be careful.
Orlaith also wrote a childrens book,Ouch!
I Got a Cut!, to help kids understand the basics of wound care.
Illinois has also adopted the regulations and more states have said they will do the same.
Still, theyre struggling with their loss.
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