MI Mom Gives Warning After Strep Leads To Son's Double Leg Amputation

GRAND BLANC, MI — A Michigan mom spoke with Good Morning America to warn other parents after her son developed strep A and influenza A infections in late December and had to get a double amputation this month.

Michele Stevenson said that when her 7-year-old son Kaden got sick around Christmas, she assumed he had a cold or a stomach bug. But when four days later, Kaden was getting worse instead of better, Stevenson began to suspect something more serious was going on.

"I couldn't put his shoes on, I couldn't put his coat on, he was in that much pain," Stevenson recalled to Good Morning America. "Something just felt off. So I looked him over. His right leg was swollen. He had a rash all over his body. His eyes look puffy to me and it seemed like that all happened within a short period of time."

Stevenson took Kaden to the ER, which transferred him to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Doctors diagnosed him with both strep A and influenza A, which required him to undergo amputations for both of his legs on March 3. Soon, Kaden will receive prosthetic legs, which he calls "robot legs," Stevenson said.

The CDC said Wednesday that its preliminary 2023 data shows group strep A infections are occurring at rates above those seen before the pandemic.

The bacteria is commonly carried by people in their noses and throats or on the skin, but in its invasive form, it can invade parts of the body that are normally free from germs. This more severe type of strep is usually seen in children, but the CDC said some areas of the country are seeing it more often in adults, including those 65 and older.

Mild and moderate strep infections are usually treated with amoxicillin, which is in short supply. Alternative therapies are available. Invasive group strep A roared back last year amid the shortage of drugs to treat it, although there’s no data link as yet between those developments, the CDC said.

Any strep case warrants a trip to the doctor. Typical symptoms include fever, sore throat and difficulty swallowing.

Parents and caregivers should also keep an eye out for symptoms of toxic shock syndrome — fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting — and the so-called “flesh-eating” disease, necrotizing fasciitis — a fast-sreading swollen area on the skin, severe pain and fever, along with blisters, changes in skin color or pus at the infected area.

"If your kid has any of those signs of fever, they complain of pain, you see any rashes, just take them to the emergency." Stevenson told Good Morning America. "Catch it early. That's the biggest thing. And listen to your kids. They tell you they don't feel good? Don't just sweep it under the rug, assuming that it's a little cold. Get it checked out."