An 8-year-old boy from Rockport, Texas passed away hours after he was diagnosed with the flu on Feb. 17 and discharged from the hospital.
Medical officials have yet to confirm the exact cause of the boy’s death and are waiting on test results. His aunt, Jessica Solis, is eager for an update.
“It was just like a normal fever,” Jasmine told the news outlet. But hours later, her son “was pretty much turning purple” and she called 911 while her boyfriend tried to revive him.
“Before help came, it was just already too late,” she said.
KIII reported that Martin was sent to the emergency room of a hospital in Portland, where he went into cardiac arrest.
“When I got there they finally told me he was gone,” Jasmine said. “I can’t comprehend why. He’s so little. He’s so bubbly, and he still had so much.”
Martin is better known as “Chucky” or “Junior” by those around him.
“He had a lot to say,” his aunt Jessica told KIII. “He wanted to say it and he wanted you to sit there and listen.”
“He had a high-pitched, squeaky voice, and it’s not here and that’s what I miss,” she said.
Family friend Tasha Martin is hosting a fundraiser on Feb. 23 to raise money for the boy’s funeral.
Martin’s classmates sent his family messages of support.
“My poor baby thought he never had friends, because everyone picked on him because he was different,” Jasmine told KIII.
Ohio Girl Dies After Flu Diagnosis
Just days following Martin’s death, a 10-year-old girl from Ohio died late Feb. 20 after she was diagnosed with strep throat and the flu on the morning of Feb. 19.The girl, Sable Gibson, went into cardiac arrest on the afternoon of Feb. 19, her mother Holly Rauch Gibson wrote on Facebook.
Sable was airlifted to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital but died the following night.
Mason City Schools, where Sable attended, released a statement on Feb. 21.
“Please join us in keeping the Gibson family in our daily thoughts and prayers as they navigate these very difficult days,” the statement read.
“We have additional counselors at Western Row today who are working with any student who may need help processing,” the public school district added. “It’s moments like these that we come together as a community to walk alongside one another and care for each other.”
The funeral is scheduled for Feb. 23.
“The flu alone is enough to give you horrible viral phenomena and respiratory failure. Can you get other things on top of it? Absolutely,” Dr. Nancy Pook told the news outlet.
The immune system is weakened from the flu, which leaves the body vulnerable to bacteria that can cause secondary illnesses, WDTN reported.
