The grieving parents of a 10-year-old girl who tragically died after 17 percent of her body was cut away have decided to share their daughter’s story.
It was in March 2019 when Vivienne Murphy passed away shortly after experiencing a sore throat. She developed a rash and a high fever, and only a few days later, her condition worsened.
She initially received treatment at Cork University Hospital before being transferred to Temple Street.
Doctors first thought that Vivienne was suffering from a viral infection but as her condition worsened, her mother Lilly knew there must be something else as her daughter was not responding to the medication.
“We realized she was still getting worse, and the rash was really angry-looking. By the evening she had pain and we noticed that her right leg started swelling at the knee,” said Vivienne’s father, Dermot.
The young girl’s condition took a dark turn when doctors noticed a black mark on her leg. After more tests, the parents were finally told that their daughter had contracted Strep A.
The black mark is an onset of sepsis and signaled necrotizing fasciitis, a life-threatening bacterial infection also known as the ‘flesh-eating disease.’
Vivienne thanked the nurse before she underwent an operation at Temple Street hospital.
“That was the dignity she had. They were her last words on this planet. She had so much empathy. The world is a sadder place without her,” Dermot added.
After the procedure, the doctor delivered startling news.
“He said I think I have stopped the disease from spreading, but I had to cut away 17% of your daughter’s body,” the father recalled.
But Vivienne suffered cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead.
“If your child has a fever, or a rash, be vigilant, these things can change so quickly. Our daughter started off with signs and symptoms and within ten days she was gone,” the grieving parents warned.
“We are just begging and pleading that parents look out for these things, don’t be submissive, and don’t ever think that you are being an overreacting parent, because you are not.”
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