A mum has shared an urgent message to all parents after her son was rushed to hospital with a headache.
Henri Brammer began had been complaining of a headache for two days in December but mum Carly initially put this down to Christmas excitement. However, after complaining of eye pain and seeming lethargic, he was taken to his local hospital on December 19 in Stoke.
Doctors told the family that the nine-year-old was suffering from a viral infection and were about to discharge him when mum Carly demanded scans be done. The next day, a CT scan showed young Henri had a 10cm ball of pus on his brain and he was rushed by ambulance to Alder Hey.
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That same day, the schoolboy underwent neurosurgery for five hours to have his brain drained. However, just one week later he was back in theatre to have it re-drained after it had filled again.
And the same happened again a week later, meaning brave Henri had three surgical procedures in just three weeks, missing out on Christmas and New Year celebrations. Carly told the ECHO: "He was perfectly healthy, he wasn't ill except for the headache.
"They told us he'd had a sinus infection which had caused Strep A and then spread and caused empyema of the brain. The pus was dangerous where it was.
"He was in Alder Hey for a month until January 17 so he missed Christmas at home with his siblings. We've been back to Alder Hey a few times and it's like he never had anything wrong. He's now back in school full time and is back to football, back on full form.
"We were told if we hadn't taken him to A&E on the 19th, he wouldn't be here. His brain would've shut down and he'd have gone to bed and just not woken up."
Strep A, or Group A Streptococcus as it’s also known, is a bacteria most commonly found in the throat and nose that can lead to numerous infections such as scarlet fever, tonsillitis and impetigo.
The bacterium is very common and lots of people will have it unknowingly but in some cases, it can spread to others who may have an increased chance of becoming ill from the infection. However, in most cases health issues caused by Strep A are mild.
Carly is urging other parents to be aware of Strep A as she said: "Parents know when something is wrong so trust your gut, even if you are wrong just push for answers. We didn't know how serious Strep A can be, he's a very lucky boy.
"Trust your gut and don't take no for an answer. Alder Hey have been incredible, if you need something done, it's done there and then."
After spending time in ICU and the high dependency unit, Henri was discharged from Alder Hey on January 17 this year and has been fundraising for the hospital ever since. He wanted to raise £10,000 by November on his 10th birthday to say thank you to the staff who saved his life.
A number of fundraisers have already been held and the page has raised over £9,000 as donations keep pouring in. The fundraising page can be found here.
It reads: "His first operation Henri was away from us for over five hours. Which felt like weeks. The risks of this operation and procedure were what any parent dreads to hear.
"The thought of what’s going to be happening to your child was the worst possible feeling. You are literally handing over your child’s life to strangers. You spend all your time protecting your child/children and at this moment we couldn’t help him. We sat crossing everything we had that Henri would come out of surgery the Henri he went in, with no lasting damage."
Thanking Alder Hey for saving their son, Carly wrote: "They saved our son's life and we will owe them everything so this is just something to give back as a thank you. Henri has been simply amazing throughout the whole thing he really is one strong little boy. He’s now home and slowly getting back to some normality."
Common symptoms can include a fever, sore throat, pain and swelling, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting. More information can be found here.
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