A young girl has lost three of her limbs and is now fighting for her life after coming down with the flu.
Kaydin Ruiz, 13, of Kerrville, Texas, started showing symptoms in late January, when her mom said she started getting a fever, chills and body aches, KHOU reports.
By the end of the month, Kaydin’s condition had worsened to the point where she had to be rushed to the local emergency room. She received oxygen and fluids before being sent home to hydrate.
But after returning home, the preteen’s condition became even worse.
‘She went into respiratory distress, started turning blue,’ her mom, Amanda Valdez, recounted.
From there, Kaydin was rushed to a hospital in San Antonio, where doctors diagnosed her with strep pneumonia in addition to the flu.
‘She was on a full mask forcing air into her lungs,’ Amanda said. ‘Her heart was in distress – about 20 percent function at that point.’
Kaydin’s heart even stopped at one point, and doctors had to resuscitate her.
Kaydin Ruiz, 13, of Kerrville, Texas, is fighting for her life after coming down with the flu
Doctors have had to amputate three of her limbs after the toxins from strep pneumonia caused clotting and organ failure
Her worried mother called the entire situation ‘devastating.’
‘Never in a million years did I think the flu B would lead to something like this,’ she said.
Kaydin is now being treated at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, from where her mother has been sharing updates about her road to recovery.
In a Facebook post on March 7, Amanda wrote that ‘after laying in bed for 33 days, Kaydin got to sit up on the side of her hospital bed.’
While it was only for 15 minutes and took four people to get the preteen to sit up, Amanda said she was ‘in awe, crying like a baby, grateful and so proud.’
The following day, Amanda shared that Kaydin was ‘making leaps’ in her recovery as she was taken off the ventilator and was trying to talk an hour later.
In the most recent update on March 17, Amanda said Kaydin had to go through a five-hour long surgery to remove both of her legs below the knees and her right arm above her elbow.
The amputations became necessary after the toxins from strep caused clotting and organ failure.
Kaydin was put on a full mask forcing air into her lungs
The 13 year old has made great strides, getting off the ventilator earlier this month
‘It’s devastating,’ Amanda repeated to KHOU. ‘How do you tell your child that their whole world has changed? Now she’s covered in scars. Her whole life has changed.’
But on social media, she was just grateful that her daughter survived the ordeal.
‘To say we are blessed is an understatement,’ she wrote.
‘As unimaginable as our journey has been, we are so grateful that god continues to provide Kaydin the strength to overcome every challenge she has faced.’
Amanda then asked her Facebook friends to ‘please continue to pray for our baby girl as she faces this new chapter of life.’
An online fundraiser to help the family with their medical expenses describes how Kaydin is ‘such a loving, kind, strong, beautiful, sweet girl.’
‘Her ideal perfect day is to be in bed with her puppy, Emery (the bean), and watch TV shows all day, if she had the choice, she would do that every day,’ it said, noting that the preteen also loves anime, plays the French horn and will not share her favorite snack – Takis.
Arieanna Valdez, Kaydin’s older sister, also said she is a ‘shy, stubborn, caring beautiful girl.’
Family members describe Kaydin as a ‘loving, kind, strong, beautiful, sweet girl’
‘She’s the kind of girl who loves her sisters more than anything, but doesn’t like to show it, the kind who would rather stay home and bed rot in her safe little bubble than be anywhere else,’ Arieanna wrote on Facebook.
‘She gives her whole heart to the people she cares about and she would do absolutely anything for the ones she loves, without hesitation,’ she continued.
‘Even with all the machines, tubes, tests – she is and always will be a true soul – courageous, loyal and full of a quiet love that runs deeper than words.’
‘God is still writing her story, carefully shaping every chapter and whatever he has planned for her, she will still be the Kaydin we knew before all of this,’ Arieanna wrote.
She then explained that she ‘just wanted to share a reminder of who Kaydin really is without all the medical equipment she is hooked up to.’
‘If you didn’t know her before this timing of her life, know that she is full of love, wisdom and character.’
As she now fights for her life, the family said they are sharing her story to raise awareness about the dangers of influenza and help other families recognize the risks ‘before it gets to this.’
One of the best ways to reduce the risk of severe illness is vaccination, doctors at Texas Children’s Hospital insist.
‘We wouldn’t want parents to miss the opportunity,’ Dr Howard Pryor said. ‘When flu vaccines are available, that’s the best way to protect your child from part of this risk.’
