Sean Brame

Survivor

Sean Brame was nine years old when sepsis first touched his life. He survived his fight, but life has changed as he was left with amputations of both legs, one hand and part of the other hand.

On April 15, 2005, the third-grader was playing soccer when he fell and sprained his ankle. After being checked at the hospital, Sean went home where his mother, Carol, helped him keep his foot elevated. The next day, instead of feeling less pain, the ankle seemed worse. Sean was experiencing severe pain and the swelling increased instead of decreasing. He had what is called compartment syndrome. This condition causes pressure inside the muscle, which can lead to muscle and nerve damage.

Later that day, things got even worse. Around 2 a.m., Carol went into Sean’s room and she found her son was “turning blue.” Sean was rushed to the hospital but getting into it wasn’t easy. The hospital was undergoing renovations and the entrance wasn’t obvious. Carol had to use the ambulance emergency entrance, but she was unable to get Sean out of the car alone. A homeless man stepped forward and helped Carol carry her son into the emergency room. There, they found he was going into septic shock. His condition was so serious that Carol was told that it was a lucky thing she stopped at the first hospital rather than going farther to the clinic. Sean stopped breathing at 3 a.m.

At this point, the hospital shut down the emergency room to other people because they had to focus on getting Sean stable so he could be transferred to a more acute care setting. His pulse was 220 beats per minute. Usually, a young boy’s pulse can range from 70 to 120 beats per minute. By 4 a.m., the doctors were able to transfer Sean by Pediatric Care Ambulance.

To save Sean’s life, doctors had to make the decision to amputate one hand and part of this other hand, and both legs. For his recovery and the start of rehab, Sean was in the hospital until June. (Sepsis and Amputations)

Sean is now finishing up his freshman year and he is an active swimmer, comLife Scout Sean Brame, 14, of York Haven, Penn., from Keystone Council Troop 439, rides the zip line at Action Alley D at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, Saturday, July 31, 2010. Photo by Daniel Giles **********Beginning of Shooting Data Section********** Canon EOS-1D Mark IV iso - 640 f/3.2 shutter - 1/320 file name - _O1C6935 date - 7/31/10 time - 8:41:39 AM program - Aperture Priority white balance - Auto meter - multi-segment tone comp - 0 exp. comp - 0.0 flash - no flashpeting on an aquatic team. He also is a good student, is good at art, and is active in public speaking and Cub Scouts.

 

Source: by Marijke Vroomen-Durning with permission from Carol Brame and with information obtained from PennLive.com 

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