A happy, energetic 3-year-old boy from the UK died in his sleep after he contracted sepsis from scratching his chickenpox.
Jasmine Shortland, 23, was heartbroken to hear that her son Bryan-Andrew had passed away in his sleep while he was staying with his grandmother. The death was so sudden and unexpected; she was first told he died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS.
After a post-mortem was performed, Shortland learned the truth behind her son’s tragic death. Months after Bryan-Andrew’s passing, it was revealed that he had an invasive form of the streptococcus A, which eventually led to sepsis.
Bryan-Andrew had a bit of a sore neck that day, but otherwise, he seemed perfectly healthy. His last words to his mom were ‘I love you.’
“I was just shocked. How can a three-year-old boy catch something that’s so rare?,” Shortland said.
Now, it’s Shortland’s mission to share her story with everyone she can. She wants parents to be aware that this could happen to their children.
“Apparently, he must have scratched one of his chickenpox and that’s how the infection got in. It is so rare. I am trying to raise more awareness to other mums. If your child has chickenpox, it is something that can lead to infection.I think it is really important to know how dangerous it can be. My other child had it and he was absolutely fine. He had no problems at all.”
Bryan-Andrew was staying at his grandmother’s house with his other brother Austin — Shortland didn’t want her 4-month-old new son to catch chickenpox from her big brothers. When his grandma went to wake him in the morning, he was gone.
“The night before he was running around. He was happy. He was laughing and joking. It just doesn’t make sense.”
What’s most disturbing about Bryan-Andrew’s death is the fact that there were no symptoms at all — aside from the slightly stiff neck.
“There were no symptoms because it was so rare he just had normal symptoms for mumps. He had no rash, nothing that you would normally have.”
After losing her son, Shortland realized she was ten weeks pregnant. Sadly, she lost the baby due to all of the stress. She suffered a horrible miscarriage.
“I lost 75% of my body’s blood. The nurses said there was someone watching over me that day and I knew it was Bryan-Andrew.”
The CDC says complications from chickenpox can be serious or fatal — but they are also extremely rare.
“It still hasn’t sunk in. When I go to his grave it just doesn’t feel right talking to a head stone. I should be talking to him. He should be starting school this year. It is the milestones that kills me the most.”
Bryan-Andrew’s mom wants her son’s death to spread awareness of this dangerous complication so they can seek help before it’s too late.
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