Little kids get cuts and scrapes all the time, and falling off your bike is a rite of passage for them. The great majority of these incidents result in minor injuries that require little more than a band-aid. They can, however, seldom escalate. In the instance of one young boy, a staph infection led to a life-changing double leg amputation.

A Family Vacation and a Staph Infection

In October 2020, Juliana and Brian Baumkirchner of Arizona took their three-year-old son, Beauden, on a family vacation to San Diego. Nearly two months later, the toddler is finally going home after spending weeks in intensive care.

Beauden was riding his bike when he fell off and scraped his knee. The Baumkirchners, like any other parents, were unconcerned by the situation. They cleaned the wound, bandaged it, and concluded their son was well. “He’s done that many, many times as any three-year-old boy will do.” stated Brian Baumkirchner.

Fighting for his life

Beauden began to feel sleepy later that evening. He had a fever the next day and his knee was swollen. His parents transported him to Rady’s Children’s Hospital, where doctors and nurses assessed him quickly. The small boy was struggling for his life within hours.

“When the ICU doctor arrived, he stated that his labs were concerning. But three hours later, at 1 p.m., his entire body was shutting down,” his father recounted. “They thought they were going to lose him, for sure, that night.”

Beauden’s rapid deterioration

A “vicious” staph infection was the source of Beauden’s quick deterioration. The skinned knee of the toddler served as a conduit for the toxin-laced bacteria, which began assaulting his body. Despite being a “garden-variety” staph, it induced a bacterial illness in Beauden that was similar to toxic shock syndrome.

Beauden’s body had succumbed to shock. It cut off blood flow to his limbs and legs in order to keep blood flowing to his brain. As a result, the small kid suffered no neurological harm, according to his mother.

A Double-Amputation

Sadly, doctors were not able to save other parts of Beauden’s body. They tried to get blood circulating to his legs again but were unsuccessful. As a result, doctors had to proceed with a leg amputation from above the knees.

Since October 5th, the boy has undergone at least eighteen surgeries related to the leg amputation and has been under anesthesia countless times. “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare when you’re completely helpless,” said Brian. Beauden’s doctor, John Bradley, praised his parents for seeking medical attention as soon as they realized something was wrong. He urges all parents to do the same the minute they realize there is a problem.

They need your prayers!!!Please share this story with others.