Arizona Boy, 3, Undergoes Double Leg Amputation After Contracting Staph Infection from a Scraped Knee
A 3-year-old boy is now a double amputee after contracting a serious staph infection from what his family initially believed was a minor injury.
Beauden Baumkirchner was camping with relatives near San Diego last month when he fell off his bike and scraped his knee — something he's "done that many, many times as any three-year-old boy will do," his father Brian Baumkirchner told NBC affiliate 12 News.
Though the wound was cleaned and bandaged, Beauden fell ill and was hospitalized at Rady Children's Hospital less than 48 hours after his fall. By then, Beauden's knee was swollen and he was running a fever.
"The staph infection — they knew it was some kind of bacterial infection, but weren't sure what it was — but you can see it spreading in his legs, down to all of his extremities," Brian recalled. "They thought they were going to lose him for sure that first day."
As the infection spread throughout Beauden's body, it began cutting off circulation to his limbs.
His "immune system was further compromised as sepsis set in" and the "ensuing toxic shock syndrome complicated his diagnosis," according to a GoFundMe campaign created to raise funds for Beauden's medical bills.
Eventually, doctors made the heartbreaking decision to amputate Beauden's legs and several of his fingers after they could not restore circulation to some of his extremities.
According to NBC San Diego, Beauden has undergone more than 17 surgeries in just six weeks. He currently remains in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, but is doing well.
"He has lost two fingers on his left hand and possibly part of his thumb. All the rest of his little fingers are curled and stiff," an update posted on Monday reads. "He is going to need much physical therapy to get them straightened and working again. There is a pin inserted straight down into his index to try to straighten it."
"This beautiful baby is having to handle more than anyone can even imagine," the note adds, "and yet he still has a smile on his face!"
As of Tuesday, Beauden's GoFundMe has raised $129,231 out of its $150,000 goal.
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