Mum Cheryl said she faced “the most heartbreaking moment of my life” when she had to tell son Kye Vincent doctors were going to remove his legs to save him

An eight-year-old football-loving boy who lost his legs and left hand due to meningitis is already kicking a ball around on his new prosthetic limbs.

Kye Vincent was struck down with the serious illness – despite receiving the meningitis C vaccination as a baby – and spent six weeks in a coma.

Mum Cheryl, 36, said she faced “the most heartbreaking moment of my life” when she later had to tell her son that doctors would need to remove his legs.

The youngster cried: “Don’t take my legs, mummy,” when Cheryl sat down with a child psychologist to gently explain the situation to Kye.

He was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia earlier this year on Mother’s Day, just six days after his baby sister, Layla was born.

The youngster’s ordeal began on March 5 where he complained of a headache and feeling sick.

Mum-of-two Cheryl, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, took his temperature which had risen to 39.2 degrees Celsius.

However, Kye only displayed three of the signs: sickness, high temperature and a headache, so Cheryl thought it might be a tummy bug and gave her son Nurofen and Calpol – sending him to bed.

She then called the NHS 111 helpline who advised her to regularly monitor her son’s temperature and keep him cool by opening his bedroom window.

By the next morning, Kye complained of being unable to move out of his bunk bed to use the bathroom.

Full-time mum Cheryl explained: “He was shouting for me and his dad Luke from his bedroom, saying he couldn’t move his legs.

“When Luke picked him up out of bed and stood him onto the floor, Kye’s legs just gave way.”

Dad Luke Baxter, 27, an IT worker, noticed four deep purple marks on his son’s shoulders, knees and hips, which felt cold to the touch.

It then dawned on Cheryl that the marks were a symptom of meningitis that she had researched the night before.

She immediately phoned 999 and within 10 minutes an ambulance arrived and Kye was given an antibiotic injection.

He was then rushed to Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Bedfordshire, for treatment.

Cheryl said: “Upon our arrival there was a large team waiting for Kye.

“They hooked him up to IV drips and took blood tests.

“It was overwhelming. Before our eyes, marks were appearing all over his poor little body.

“Within three hours, Kye looked extremely unwell and he was crying out in pain.”

Shortly after, the youngster was diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia and was placed into a coma to help his body fight the infection.

The hospital transferred him to the specialist infectious diseases unit at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, central London.

Meanwhile, his dad Luke stayed with their newborn daughter Layla, now 10 months, to have her checked over.

By this time Kye was in critical condition and the consultant confirmed that the first 90 hours were vital for his survival.

Three days later, severe complications had set in and Kye’s hands and feet had turned dark.

Cheryl recalled: “I talked in his ear while he was in a coma, telling him he needed to get better and that I wished it was me.

“I told him I missed his voice and missed being his mum.”

Thankfully, the brave youngster has battled against the odds and is looking forward to spending Christmas with his family in his new adapted home.

Cheryl said: “Kye is the bravest person I know.

“There were times when we thought we might lose him, but he’s a fighter and he’s not letting his condition hold him back.

“I’m just glad I noticed the signs and called the ambulance when I did.

“If I’d left it any longer, he might not be here today.”

On April 14, Kye underwent a three-hour operation to remove his legs.

Cheryl said: “When he opened his eyes two days later, he looked at me and said: ‘Look Mum, I can move better and I’m not in as much pain.’

“I thought what a little fighter he was.”

This month the family moved into a home, specially equipped with a lift up to his bedroom and disabled access to help Kye move around, just in time for Christmas.

The youngster has also been undergoing tests to determine why, despite being vaccinated against meningitis C as a baby, his body failed to produce the antibodies to fight the disease.

Dr Hermione Lyall, a consultant paediatrician of infectious diseases, said: “It is very rare for a child to go on to get severe meningococcal C after having had the vaccination.

“Whenever this happens we do blood tests to check the child’s immune system to make sure that there is no underlying problem.

“In Kye’s case – we could not find any specific problem with his immune system, so it appears that he had very, very unfortunate circumstances to get such a severe infection despite having been vaccinated.”