For two months, four-year-old Kaylan visited doctors repeatedly for various illnesses. Each time he was diagnosed with minor conditions – tonsillitis, hand, foot and mouth disease, or stomach flu. Eventually, he was hospitalized in critical condition after doctors missed a Group A streptococcal infection and he developed sepsis. He had to have both legs surgically removed.

Kaylan O’Kane, from Coventry, England, was first admitted to hospital in early October last year. Doctors then diagnosed him with tonsillitis and prescribed antibiotics. Over the next two months, he was prescribed medication for the same illness three more times without any further testing. But nothing helped.

Doctors misdiagnosed him four times. A four-year-old boy loses both legs

On another occasion, the child was brought to the emergency room with a severe rash on his face. The diagnosis was hand, foot, and mouth disease, common in children, which usually resolves on its own. In mid-December, Kaylan was hospitalized again. At midnight, he started vomiting and had chills. His parents took him to the doctor, but he didn’t seem concerned.

“The doctor said, ‘Okay, yes, it’s stomach flu. He’ll be fine in a few days. Just give him some paracetamol and drive to McDonald’s on the way home.'” “We thought, ‘If the doctor says so, maybe it’s true, maybe it’s just a virus,'” Tom O’Kane, the boy’s father, told the Daily Mail. But within 24 hours of returning home, the boy’s condition worsened significantly.

Kaylan was limping and confused; he didn’t know what was happening. His parents called an ambulance, but the wait was over four hours, so they took their son to the hospital themselves.

After contracting Group A Streptococcus, Kaylan developed sepsis.

“As soon as we walked into the waiting room and told them about the symptoms, the doctors took him away from us and began emergency treatment.” “They kept saying their son was extremely unwell,” said the father of the four-year-old.

Kaylan was diagnosed with group A streptococcus, which led to septic shock. He was given oxygen and antibiotics intravenously, but he swelled up so much that doctors could only find a single vein in his shin. After initial support, he was transferred to a hospital in Birmingham, to the intensive care unit.

The boy’s leg was removed to save his life

“They told us he might not survive the trip. We were devastated.” “It was surreal,” Kaylan’s father said.

Shortly afterward, the boy was diagnosed with liver and kidney failure and was undergoing dialysis. Over the next few days, the four-year-old’s arms and legs became severely affected due to sepsis. Doctors made the decision to remove his legs, stating that it was the only way to save his life.

“We were encouraged to say goodbye before he went into surgery because he might not survive,” Kaylan’s father said. However, the boy turned out to be an incredibly strong fighter.

“When they brought him out and we heard the monitor showing his heart was still beating, we felt a great sense of relief,” Tom said.

Kaylan spent 80 days in the hospital, including several weeks in intensive care. In early March, he was finally able to go home, but he still has a long period of rehabilitation ahead and may require further surgery before he can recover. He now uses prosthetic legs.

The boy was very active before his illness; he was a huge football fan. His parents decided to do everything they could to buy him the best prosthetics available and help him live a normal life. For this purpose, they organized a fundraising event online. Kaylan kept asking what had happened to his legs, saying he wanted them back. However, despite everything, he still smiled a lot and stayed positive.

“He’s always smiling, it’s unbelievable, it surprises me every day,” said Tom O’Kane.