My boy, 7, has brain damage after complaining of pins and needles at swimming – docs just gave him anti-sickness pills

SEVEN-year-old Junior Fahr complained of “pins and needles” while swimming in May. But it was weeks until doctors identified the true cause of these symptoms, by which time he’d suffered brain damage. Junior Fahr complained of tingling and weakness while swimming in May Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Doctors didn’t realise something was seriously wrong until June Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media His mum Evangelynne Williams rushed Junior to hospital when he complained of tingling and a weakness down his left side on May 12, after ChatGPT suggested they were symptoms of a stroke. There, he was assessed and Evangelynne said perplexed doctors told her to bring him back if it happened again. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! Evangelynne, from Portslade, East Sussex, said: “It was honestly so scary. “During swimming he complained his left side went weak and [he had] pins and needles down that side, so we took him to hospital. “The funny thing is, I put [the symptoms] into ChatGPT and the first thing it came up with was a stroke. “They did a couple of little tests with his fingers, didn’t do a scan or anything, and then sent us home.” The 27-year-old personal training student thought little of it until six weeks later on June 25, when Junior woke up and started vomiting, before becoming delirious and unresponsive. Evangelynne rushed Junior back to hospital and claims they were put in a room for “hours” while Junior was simply given anti-sickness tablets. Most read in Health His mum suspected Junior may be suffering a stroke Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Junior with Evangelynne Williams, 27, and her partner James Ferrett, 34 Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media The mum thought his symptoms could be a reaction to soaring summer temperatures in the UK. But her concern spiked when he started having seizures and crying out in pain. Junior was only seen by a senior member of staff once Evangelynne’s mum arrived and “firmly” pressed for more answers. “Within seconds”, more doctors gathered around the seven-year-old. Scans revealed Junior had in fact suffered a stroke as the mum had initially suspected, caused by a blocked artery on his brain. He was blue-lighted to another hospital where he was placed in a coma for three weeks. Evangelynne said: “He woke up and was complaining of feeling sick, he was sick a couple of times. “He was very delirious. He was laughing, was unable to walk or hold his body weight up and his eyes were shut. He was completely non-responsive. Junior in hospital after it was revealed a blood clot had caused a stroke Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Signs of stroke in children A stroke is a medical emergency. If you suspect a stroke, you should always call 999. The FAST test can be used to help identify strokes in children. Face: Can the young person smile? Has their face fallen on one side? Arms: Can they raise both arms and keep them there? Speech: Can they speak clearly and understand what you say? Is their speech slurred? Time: If you see any one of these three signs, it’s time to call 999. However, children and young people may have other stroke symptoms, including: Sudden, severe headache, seizures (fits) New and sudden vertigo, dizziness, or confusion Problems with walking or balance Nausea/vomiting Others may experience drowsiness, or loss of consciousness, sudden blurred vision or loss of sight in both eyes, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, changes in sensation, like pins and needles in arms or legs. Source: Stroke Association “He was dribbling, we must have used about a thousand tissues because we were constantly wiping his face. “We were then put in a room in children’s A&E for a couple of hours and was offered anti-sickness medicine from the nurse. “Because the professionals were saying there was nothing wrong, on the day that was 38 degrees, I genuinely thought it might just be down to the heat. “[Then] it almost looked as if he was having seizures and he was crying out in pain. “It wasn’t until my mum came [that he was checked over by a senior staff member]. She didn’t kick off but she was very firm. “It’s lucky she did come because, if she didn’t come, I reckon he’d be dead. “They finally got someone else in, she was higher up was like ‘right, we’re going to get him into the adult resuscitation’. “He got wheeled into [there] and I would say within two seconds of being in that room he must have had about ten to 15 doctors around him. Evangelynne was told her son may never walk again Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media Despite sustaining brain damage, he’s defied odds by being able to walk and talk Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media “They confirmed it was a stroke, that he had a blocked artery and that he had to be blue-lighted as soon as possible to [another hospital] for an operation to get this clot out of his head.” After leaving hospital on August 11, Junior has defied the odds and is already walking and talking again, but Evangelynne says he’s suffered brain damage that’s resulted in his behaviour regressing to when he was a toddler. She said: “The doctor said the best possible outcome would be that he might be able to clip a button with his right hand, there was no hope. “He’s able to walk now, he’s also talking. He’s got brain damage so his behaviour now it’s almost like he’s gone back four or five years.” Evangelynne is now focusing on his recovery and has set up a fundraiser. You can donate to Junior’s fundraiser here. Evangelynne said: “I didn’t in a million years think it was a stroke, I didn’t even know children could have strokes. “When he was asleep in the ICU in the coma I genuinely thought I was going to wake up and it was a bad dream. “If my mum didn’t come in when she came in I don’t think he would still be here because we would have just been left in that room and with a stroke, every second counts.” A University Hospitals Sussex spokesperson said: “We extend our sincere apologies to Junior and his family, and fully appreciate how difficult this must have been for them. “We are investigating Junior’s care so that we can fully understand the circumstances, and try to identify whether there is any learning that could help improve our care in the future. “We will do all we can to support Junior and his family, listen to their concerns, and talk with them whenever they feel ready to speak with us.” 1 comment1