A mum shared her 10-year-old son’s traumatic fight for survival after what appeared to be a common holiday illness developed into a life-threatening E.coli infection
A mum is urging parents to trust their instincts after her 10-year-old son was left fighting for his life following an all-inclusive family holiday.
Caroline Lawton, from Warrington, Cheshire, travelled to Sharm El Sheikh with her husband and two children for a 12-night package holiday last month. But the day before the family were due to fly home, her son Jude developed an upset stomach.
At first, Caroline believed he had picked up the common holiday illness ‘Egypt belly’. She said: “He had loose stools but genuinely nothing concerning, we thought he had just got a little bit of ‘Egypt belly’. We were due to fly home and he was going to the toilet a little more often and didn’t want to go in the pool.
“My concern mainly started when we got to the airport. He started being tired, didn’t want to walk and was back and forth to the toilet. It was on the plane that I first noticed the fresh blood in his stool and I did start to panic. He started shaking and he was freezing cold, the air staff increased the temperature on the whole aircraft to try and warm him up.”
After landing back in the UK, Jude’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He was admitted to hospital, placed in a seclusion room and later tested positive for STEC E.coli, a bacterial infection that can cause bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever. Doctors confirmed the infection had developed into haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a potentially fatal complication that damages small blood vessels and can lead to kidney failure.
Jude was transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, where he underwent dialysis and a blood transfusion after his kidneys failed. Recalling the ordeal, Caroline said: “[In hospital], he started to puff up and he was swollen, he couldn’t even open his eyes properly.
“The renal consultant came to chat to us and this is when we began to realise the severity of the situation that his kidney function was quickly declining. At this point he hadn’t had a wee for 24 hours. It was so scary and at this point he still hadn’t eaten anything. As soon as he woke up and came around from surgery, he was wheeled straight into dialysis as at this point his kidneys had completely failed.
“He last had dialysis on June 22nd and this is when we started to see the changes. A couple of days later the doctor said his kidneys were starting to stir and wake up. Each day his blood continued to improve slightly and was going for a wee more.”
After two weeks of treatment, Jude’s kidney function slowly began to improve and he was discharged home, where he continues to recover. He will now be closely monitored for the next five years because serious complications from E.coli can increase the risk of long-term health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
Caroline said she decided to speak out to help other families recognise the warning signs. She said: “First of all, go with your gut. If you notice blood in a stool or they stop passing urine or start swelling in their ankles or eyes, you should get this checked out.
“I didn’t share the story until Jude was home. I was in too bad of a situation and I was concerned I was going to lose my little boy. Jude is doing well but he’s still not out of the woods and we’ve got a long road ahead of us. I wanted to spread awareness to stop any other families going through this as it’s been very traumatic.”
Jude only ate away from the hotel once during the family’s 12-day trip, which was booked through easyJet holidays, Caroline said. She has since contacted both the holiday company and the hotel but says the source of the infection remains unknown.
She added: “At the moment, we’re no further on with where it came from, I don’t have a clue how Jude contracted it. We booked through EasyJet and the World Health Organisation have been in contact with me. EasyJet are investigating and they have contacted me to check in and see how Jude is and they’ve been really good.”
An easyJet holidays spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry that Jude has been unwell. We have been in regular contact with Jude’s family and are continuing to offer them any support and assistance they need. We are working closely with our hotel partner to carry out a thorough investigation into what happened.”
