My 15-year-old son felt a sharp pain in his stomach…24 hours later he was paralysed from the neck down
A HEARTBROKEN mum recalled the moment her son cried out in pain “my arms feel like they’re on fire” and collapsed in their living room.
Ayuub Al-Asad, from Rochdale, Manchester, had initially complained of stomach pains before tragedy struck on March 19 this year.
The schoolboy also experienced a pins and needles sensation in his legs, until they eventually went heavy and numb.
When he collapsed suddenly, Ayuub’s distraught mum Hena rushed him to hospital.
She told the Manchester Evening News: “He’s crying out in pain and he’s like, ‘My arms are burning.
“My arms feel like they’re on fire. They’re burning. It’s burning’”.
In less than 24 hours, Ayuub was transported to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
He remained in the Intensive Care Unit sedated and hooked up to a ventilation machine for three months.
The 15-year-old was eventually diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, a condition that affects the spinal cord.
It left Ayuub paralysed from the neck down, meaning his bladder and bowel no longer worked.
His diaphragm was also paralysed on the left side which saw his left lung collapse.
Surgeons performed a tracheostomy to help the teen breathe in May, and he spent another five months on ventilation.
A heartbroken Hena said the ordeal has been “traumatic” and “devastating” for Ayuub and the whole family.
“He’ll say to me, ‘mum, all I want to do is walk. I just want my legs to move and I want to walk’,” she added.
The family were put in touch with the Spinal Injuries Association, a charity that helps support those affected by spinal cord conditions.
They were helped by Carol Adcock, a SCI specialist nurse lead for the charity.
Hena hailed Carol as “a breath of fresh air” who “changed everything” for the better.
“I felt like I could breathe after all these months. If there’s anything I’m struggling with, all I have to do is just ring Carol and she will help me,” she said.
After more specialist support, Ayuub was able to come off a ventilator and moved to the National Spinal Centre for Children and Young People.
The determined young boy has gone through gruelling physiotherapy sessions, and can now sit up on his own, dress himself and move his wheelchair.
While he is not back at home yet, for accessibility reasons, the schoolboy is hopeful for the future.
“I am looking forward to going to Stoke Mandeville where I will get will get specialised care and plan to get back to school to finish my GCSES and choose a college to join in September 2025,” he said
Hena wanted to raise awareness about the spinal condition that affected her family and also signpost fellow sufferers to the Spinal Injuries Association.
The charity say 12 people every day are impacted by a spinal cord injury.
They aim to help with rehabilitation, mental health support and basic healthcare needs for “under-resourced” families who are affected.
ACUTE FLACCID MYELITIS
Source, Great Ormond Street Hospital;
Symptoms of acute flaccid myelitis
Initially, the main symptom of AFM is sudden asymmetrical weakness affecting the arms or leg.
Asymmetrical means that it can affect each side of the body in a different way or to a different degree.
This can develop over hours to days. As well as weakness, the limb becomes floppy (flaccid) and the normal spinal reflexes decrease or disappear.
Muscle weakness can also affect the face, causing the eyelid to droop or one side of the face to weaken or can cause difficulty breathing or swallowing or problems with bladder and bowel.
The weakness can be uncomfortable and even painful. Symptoms can occasionally include numbness or tingling.
In around 20 per cent of children, this muscle weakness affects the diaphragm, the curved muscle in the chest that rises and falls when breathing.
This can affect breathing and may be serious enough to need support from a ventilator in intensive care.
Other children may have neurological complications that affect automatic body functions (the autonomic system) such as controlling temperature and blood pressure.
The most common signs and symptoms include:
- Sudden arm or leg weakness
- Sudden loss of muscle tone
- Sudden loss of reflexes
Other possible signs and symptoms include:
- Difficulty moving the eyes or drooping eyelids
- Facial droop or weakness
- Difficulty with swallowing or slurred speech
- Pain in the arms, legs, neck or back
Uncommon symptoms might include:
- Numbness or tingling
- Inability to pass urine