Jesse Brown, 11 year old Florida boy dies from flesh eating bacteria just days after suffering an ankle injury, after a strep infection morphed into a flesh eating sickness.
An 11-year-old ‘miracle child’ died after a twisted ankle he suffered while running on a treadmill in January led to a flesh-eating infection.
Jesse Brown’s leg was covered with ‘splotchy, purply, red, almost like bruises’ a few days after the Winter Park, Orange County, Florida boy injured his ankle and got a scratch that possibly allowed an infection to spread, eventually killing him, Fox 35 reported.
Brown fell victim to a bacteria called Strep A, which infected his leg and progressed into a flesh-eating bacteria, according to his family.
Group-A strep is the same bacteria that causes strep throat, scarlet fever and other infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Although the majority of instances are not as serious, Dr. Candice Jones, an Orlando pediatrician, told Fox 35 it can result in a secondary infection like flesh-eating sickness in rare cases. Swelling, redness, an unpleasant odor, and fever are indicators to watch out for, she told the outlet.
Miracle child was born after his parents struggled to get pregnant for 10 years
‘His whole leg was covered in like splotchy, purply, red, almost like bruises,’ Megan Brown, the boy’s cousin told FOX 35.
The bacteria traveled through his body and eventually caused his brain to swell, after which he was pronounced brain-dead. The boy’s death came just after injuring his ankle.
‘They said that because he rolled his ankle, that that’s likely where the infection attacked it, because it was already week,’ Brown told FOX35.
Jesse was born after his parents struggled to get pregnant for 10 years, with the family considering him their miracle child, WESH reported.
He competed in BMX and motocross competitions and was described as an ‘old soul,’ according to Brown.
‘He was just such an old soul. Like, everybody was like, ‘He’s such a little adult, like, in this little, tiny body, you know?” Brown told WESH.
Dr. Alan Cross, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, told WESH that strep can cause a ‘very rapid infection’ that can make it a ‘toxin.’
Missed cues
These types of infections can form in both kids and adults from scrapes to larger wounds, he explained.
‘The bottom line here is that first properly clean the wound and then be able to watch it over time,’ Cross said.
Jesse had a boot on for the ankle injury, and his family didn’t realize quickly enough the trouble that was surfacing, WESH reported.
‘I just kept thinking of Bebe, his mom, because she’s my favorite, and my heart really broke for her,’ Brown said.
The boy’s elementary school, where he was a fifth grader, started a memorial fundraiser.
‘While Jesse was a miracle to his parents and family, he was also a true blessing to his Lakemont family,’ the Lakemont Elementary School wrote. ‘Jesse was kind and compassionate, looked out for others, adventurous and truly an amazing friend and classmate.’
