Doctors remove Tennessee boy’s hands, feet after flu-like symptoms

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The parents of a 14-year-old Sumner County boy made a difficult decision that saved their son’s life.

Mathias Uribe’s parents knew something wasn’t right when typical flu-like symptoms turned almost deadly, so they rushed him to the hospital.

Uribe should be using his feet to run. His hands should be playing endless melodies on the piano. That’s the potential his parents, Edgar and Catalina Uribe, say they still see in their son.

“Right now, for me, it is really hard to watch all of those videos, but at the same time, I look at him and I’m like, ‘he’s here,’” Uribe’s mother said.

For the last two months, their son has been at Monroe Carrel Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. He went there after he was diagnosed with pneumonia and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome and went into cardiac arrest. He was put on an ECMO machine, which pumps blood throughout the body for almost two weeks, saving his life.

“That flow wasn’t getting to all of his extremities, so they had to amputate all of his four extremities,” Uribe’s father said.

“I said when we got to the doctors when we came there, ‘please don’t use the word amputation,’” Uribe’s mother added. “Let’s use ‘remove.’”

Dr. Katie Boyle, an ICU pediatrician, is the head of Uribe’s care team who tried to save every inch of his limbs. What he is dealing with is something she hardly ever sees.

“It’s extremely rare,” Dr. Boyle said. “Sometimes, when you get the flu, it does set you up for a bacterial infection. But even then, most kids don’t get nearly as sick as Mathias did.”

She added there is nothing Edgar and Catalina could have done sooner to prevent Uribe’s amputations. She suggested parents make sure their kids get flu shots and monitor their children when they are sick to see if they get a high fever, cannot drink fluids, or refuse to wake up if they are asleep.

That’s when parents should bring their child in for immediate care.

After almost a dozen surgeries, Uribe’s team said he has a couple more.

His parents hope once he leaves the hospital, he will be one step closer to jumping and running, even if it’s with prosthetics.

“You are going to have an amazing life,” Uribe’s mother said, referencing a conversation she had with her son. “You are going to go to MIGT. You are going to do whatever you want to do. You don’t have limits because you are here Mathias, you are here.”

“I told him we are going to be your arms and legs until we figure all of this out,” Uribe’s father said.

Both Uribe’s parents expect he will be at Monroe Carrel Jr. Children’s Hospital for another month. They say they are already looking at a place in Atlanta for his prosthetics and rehab.

If you would like to donate and help Uribe with his recovery, consider donating to his GoFundMe.

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