In a truly heartbreaking story, a brave three-year-old Welsh boy has had his legs amputated recently after doctors discovered that he suffers from an rare illness called Purpura Fulminans.
The story came to light after the young boy had complained that his legs ‘wouldn’t work’ during a family trip to IKEA in Cardiff. The young boy named Romeo Hadley was so ill that he was unable to walk around the store, which prompted his parents to take him to a nearby hospital where they were told that their son’s legs would have to be amputated.
Romeo’s mother, Katie Hadley, 43, told the British press that she had noticed purple bruising on his legs and bottom. Fearing the worst and thinking it was meningitis, she quickly took him to hospital where it emerged he was suffering from the extremely rare illness. It is believed that Purpura Fulminans can cause an often deadly thrombotic disorder which leads to small blood vessels clotting within the skin.
After being diagnosed doctors placed the toddler in intensive care, where he was put under anesthetic and then put on a ventilator. Doctors at the hospital told Romeo’s parents that it was highly unlikely that Romeo would survive the night. Mrs Hadley said: “We were told by doctors that he had a huge fight on his hands,” Katie, a mental health nurse, recalled. “It was heartbreaking. We just kept vigil by his bedside praying that he would pull through.”
It is understood that Romeo’s doctors tried desperately to save his legs by performing a high risk medical procedure were they lacerated both his calves to relieve pressure and aid circulation.
However the procedure did not work and sadly little Romeo had to have both legs amputated from above his knee in another high risk procedure that lasted 10 hours. The procedure was carried out two days after Romeo was admitted, then doctors horrifyingly discovered that Romeo’s leg muscles had completely died, they then had to perform a third surgery that made them remove more of his legs leaving only his thigh region intact.
Mrs Hadley went on to tell of her son’s horrific ordeal saying:“All we cared about was him getting through the surgery, Thankfully he did, then we faced the awful fact that we had to tell him he had lost his legs.” “He was a football mad little boy, always running around causing mischief, I was so worried about his reaction. “So when Romeo was lucid, after being sedated for two weeks, I told Romeo that his legs were poorly and a doctor had taken the bad bits away.
She added: “At first he went quiet and couldn’t look at legs, but within hours he was talking and playing.”
After waking up from his procedure and realising that his legs were gone the courageous young toddler jokingly told his mother Katie: “At least I won’t have to have my toenails cut now.”
Brave young Romeo was finally released from hospital to return home to his family last Friday after spending almost six months in hospital and enduring 36 operations along with numerous procedures, scans, artificial tissue replacement and skin grafts.
An emotional Katie has also spoke of how her young son is adjusting to life without his legs, saying : “He’s been such a brave little trooper throughout this. He’s never without a smile and he’s got such a cheeky sense of humour despite what he’s been through. “After we told him about his legs, one of the first things he said was that he’d no longer be able to wear his favourite trainers. “Then he smiled and told me that at least I didn’t have to cut his toenails anymore. That’s something he’d always hated having done. He’s kept us all going, not the other way round.”
Meanwhile Romeo’s father Mr Hadley, also spoke of his son’s sense of humor and how he has handled the tragic situation, Mr Hadley said: “He’s got such a lovely sense of humour. He’ll ask for his socks then look at me giggling and say ‘I’m teasing you dad’.
Mr Hadley added: “Romeo is yet to fully understand the enormity of what’s happened to him and we as a family are adjusting to a very different kind of normal.”