A five-year-old Angus boy whose life hung in the balance after contracting a rare form of E. coli is to join his twin sister for their first full day at school together next week.
Little Ben Parish had been excitedly looking forward to his first day at Birkhill Primary School with twin Lucy when he was struck down by the potentially fatal bug E. coli 026 on July 30.
The first sign of trouble came when Ben started having severe stomach cramps and diarrhoea and his mother Adele immediately took him to the local GP for a check-up.
The youngster’s condition was monitored throughout the day, and as the symptoms were showing no signs of easing, the decision was made to take him to Ninewells Hospital for checks.
These were carried out over the course of the following weekend but Ben’s condition remained undiagnosed until 72 hours after he arrived at hospital and his blood sample came back indicating he had Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS).
The condition develops when E. Coli bacteria in the digestive tract begin to produce toxins that enter the bloodstream and start to destroy red blood cells.
Following the diagnosis, Ben was rushed to Yorkhill Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, where his condition continued to deteriorate.
His kidneys failed and he spent more than a week in intensive care having his blood constantly filtered.
His natural sodium levels also dropped to a dangerous level, giving doctors and his anxious parents cause for concern that his brain may have been damaged.
Ben then temporarily developed diabetes while fighting the infection.
The source of the E. Coli which caused Ben’s illness has not been identified but the bug is naturally occurring. However, toxin-producing strains tend to be associated with undercooked meat, contaminated water or cattle.
Mother Adele did a daily handover at Yorkhill with father Dave, to ensure Ben always had one of his parents with him while their other two other children Lucy and three-year-old Eve stayed at home.
Adele said seeing her son so unwell had been horrendous.
A particularly difficult day came when Lucy went to Birkhill Primary School for the first time in August without her brother at her side.
Adele said, “Ben was in intensive care for eight days then he went up to the renal ward at Yorkhill, where he was for four weeks, and got eight bouts of dialysis on different days until his kidneys started working again.
“It was quite amazing as they had totally shut down and slowly just started working again. He ended up having diabetes for a while which has cleared up, and he had a collapsed lung.
“He couldn’t walk as he had lost so much muscle tone from lying in bed for weeks. He was in a wheelchair for a bit as he was trying to get the strength to walk.”
She added, “He came home on the third of September and he could walk by then but he was having to hold on to furniture and things for support.”
Adele who lives at East Adamston, near Muirhead said her son was now well on the road to recovery and his next big moment would come on Monday when he joins up with his P1 classmates for his first full day at school.
She said, “It was a shame the twins didn’t get to start together. The first day at school is a big thing but obviously Ben was still in Yorkhill then. I am just so relieved that it’s over and our wee boy is back.
“When it happened we thought that the day (when the twins went to school together for the first time) might never come for them. It is just nice to see them together at last.
“At Yorkhill they said that Ben had got everything that E. Coli could throw at him and it was one of the worst cases of HUS they had seen in years.
“We are indebted to the staff at Yorkhill, not only for their knowledge of HUS and the compassion and quality of care, but ultimately for saving our son’s life.”