A father has described how doctors initially dismissed his seven-year-old son's symptoms as constipation, before he was diagnosed with a rare form of E. coli that left him in a coma with kidney failure.
Dean Amer, 37, a guitar teacher from Bracknell, Berkshire, said his son Rafi, now nine, began vomiting in September 2023 and suffered severe cramps for two weeks. Despite two separate medical appointments, doctors misdiagnosed him with constipation and a stomach bug.
When Dean noticed blood in Rafi's stool, he called an ambulance. Rafi was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with stage four kidney failure, multiple seizures, a brain injury, and three cardiac arrests. He was placed on life support, and doctors urged the family to say their goodbyes.
Rafi was diagnosed with Shiga-toxin producing E. coli-haemolytic uraemic syndrome (STEC-HUS), a rare condition affecting the kidneys. He was placed in a coma for two weeks and put on an ECMO artificial lung machine. After nine months in a high-dependency unit, he moved to a brain rehabilitation centre before returning home by the end of 2024.
Now nine, Rafi has relearned to talk, eat, sit up, and stand independently. Dean described him as the 'happiest, most content boy you'll ever meet'. The family have set up a Facebook page called Rafi's Recovery to share his journey.
