- Sore throat is not a dangerous condition, but a boy less than 1 year old had to have all his limbs amputated after his sore throat turned into sepsis.
Abigail Wardle, 23 years old, was extremely worried when her 11-month-old son Oliver Aisthorpe had anorexia and was sick. She took her child to a GP and was advised to take fluids and Calpol. Wardle tried to feed Oliver, but the boy refused and only drank a little milk.
The next day, the situation became more serious, Oliver didn’t even have enough energy to cry. The boy became pale and his consciousness gradually declined. Trusting her mother’s instincts, Wardle quickly took her child to the hospital. While holding Oliver, she felt that his bones and joints were in pain and he was trying not to scream.

Upon arriving at the hospital, a nurse checked the situation and immediately took Oliver to the emergency room. Then the boy’s limbs started to turn purple, and Miss Wardle thought he was cold so she asked the doctors to put socks on him. After testing, Oliver was diagnosed with sepsis. This is a complication of sore throat – an illness that Oliver contracted a few days ago but was not detected and treated promptly.
The boy’s limbs quickly turned purple.
Two days after being transferred to the hospital, while trying to pick up his son from the hospital bed, Wardle was stunned to discover that Oliver’s limbs were gradually necrotic, becoming dark as if they were about to break off from his body. She asked the surgeon to remove the gangrenous leg to make the boy more comfortable, but the doctor refused because she hoped Oliver could recover on his own.
One morning when the nurse picked up the boy and discovered that his leg had “fallen” from his body. “That day, a nurse was helping me move Oliver from the rocking chair back to the bed, when his leg… fell off. Awful! The doctors quickly ran over and asked me if I wanted to go out because the next scene would be extremely painful, but I asked to stay,” the young mother recounted.
Immediately, the surgeons removed Oliver’s limbs. 3 weeks ago, Oliver was discharged from the hospital and gradually got used to life without limbs. The boy’s health is also progressing very well, and it feels like the surgery has brought a new life to Oliver. The boy became happier and happier than ever.
Oliver with his mother after the battle of life and death.
“What we went through was truly a nightmare. Even though many people feel sympathy, I still appreciate my luck. Oliver is still by my side even though his limbs are gone. You are a brave boy,” Wardle said. Besides, she also wants to spread her son’s story, as a wake-up call about sepsis.