29 June 2023 , 07:14
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One mum has issued a dire warning after her nine-year-old son was rushed to hospital after complaining of a headache.
Henri Brammer began suffering from headaches for two days in the run-up to Christmas.
Mum Carly initially dismissed the headaches as nothing too serious, putting them down to festive excitement but she began to grow concerned when Henri started also complaining of eye pain and seemed lethargic.
Little did she know that the Stoke City mad youngster was suffering the potentially deadly consequences of Strep A.
As Henri’s symptoms worsened, she took him to Royal Stoke University Hospital on December 19, last year.
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The nine-year-old in hospital (Carly Brammer)
Henri had three surgeries in three weeksDoctors reassured the family that the young boy, from Lightwood, Liverpool, was just suffering from a viral infection.
They were about to discharge him when Carly said she asked for them to run more scans and the next day a CT scan showed a 10cm ball of pus on his brain.
An ambulance rushed Henri to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool and the very same day he underwent a five-hour brain surgery.
But within one week, the pus had refilled in his brain and he was back under the knife, having it drained once more.
Then the same happened again, meaning the schoolboy had three surgeries in three weeks - missing out on Christmas and New Year's.
Mum Carly told the Liverpool Echo said: "He was perfectly healthy, he wasn't ill except for the headache.
"They told us he'd had a sinus infection which had caused Strep A and then spread and caused empyema of the brain. The pus was dangerous where it was.
"He was in Alder Hey for a month until January 17 so he missed Christmas at home with his siblings.
“We've been back to Alder Hey a few times and it's like he never had anything wrong. He's now back in school full-time and is back to football, back on full form.
"We were told if we hadn't taken him to A&E on the 19th, he wouldn't be here. His brain would've shut down and he'd have gone to bed and just not woken up."
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Thankfully, the youngster made a full recovery after suffering from Strep A, or Group A Streptococcus - a bacteria found commonly in the throat and nose that can lead to infections such as scarlet fever.
In most cases, Strep A causes only mild health issues, but in others, it can be potentially deadly and last winter saw a worrying increase in serious Strep A cases amongst youngsters in the UK.
Carly is now warning other parents of Strep A. She added: "Parents know when something is wrong so trust your gut, even if you are wrong just push for answers. We didn't know how serious Strep A can be, he's a very lucky boy.”
Henri is now fundraising for the hospital that saved his life and has already raised over £8,500.
Click here to view the fundraiser.