A THREE-year-old boy has returned home after catching a sometimes-deadly bacteria which has left him facing major surgery. Evan Fleming from Venterdon near Callington got the 0157 strain of E.Coli, the same one that killed a child in Wales last year. Evan may now face a kidney transplant. The first sign of the infection came when Evan went down with diahorrea in November. He had previously complained of chest problems and was off his food. 'We took him to Gunnislake health centre and they put him on a nebuliser to help his breathing,' said Evan's dad Chris. 'He was then sent to Derriford in an ambulance for tests before he returned home.' The following day he was taken back to Derriford after more problems. The hospital confirmed he had the bug and was immediately put on a drip. Consultants warned that his kidneys were failing.
Hospital The hospital kept him under constant watch taking blood tests and checking with Bristol Children's hospital about the best way forward. As his condition deteriorated he was sent to Bristol. 'They did some more tests but he got steadily worse,' Chris said. Parents Chris and Keely spent the first week by his bed while their mothers looked after the rest of the family. Following a week of dialysis Evan's condition had begun to improve. 'He had started to look better,' Chris said,' but then his stomach began to swell.' Evan's family were visiting Bristol Zoo for their son Cadan's second birthday when they were called back to the hospital.
Surgery He needed immediate surgery, so they got to the hospital as soon as possible. 'They took out 20 centimetres (nearly eight inches) of his large intestine and Evan now has a colostomy bag,' Keely said. 'He started to pick up after that but had to go nil- by-mouth for a week, which is quite rare but took place because of the severity of the infection. 'It was a week to the day after his surgery that he ate again. He had half an ice pop.' Evan's kidneys then began to work again but he soon developed dangerously high levels of potassium in his blood.
Special 'They had to find a way of controlling the potassium and so they're using a special medicine which tastes like eating sand,' Keely added. Evan now has 18 per cent of his kidney function back. The condition of his kidneys may improve and recover, but at worst he may have to have a kidney transplant. He will have regular checks and tests to make sure his recovery continues. People have started to get behind the family and two pubs have raised money for the family's future trips to Bristol. Kelly added: 'The people at the Stoke Climsland Social Club and at the Who'd Have Thought It? at St Dominick have been so generous I'd just like to thank them for their kindness.'