In 2016, Jasmine Shortland’s 3-year-old son, Bryan-Andrew, caught chickenpox. At first, he only had a sore neck and some swelling, but he seemed fine. Wanting to protect her youngest baby, Ivan, from getting sick, Jasmine, then 23 years old, decided to send Bryan-Andrew and his older brother, Austin, to their grandmother’s house for the night. Austin had already had chickenpox before with no issues, so Jasmine assumed it would be the same for Bryan-Andrew. But she was wrong. What started as a simple virus turned into a nightmare.
The next morning, Jasmine’s mother tried to wake Bryan-Andrew up, but he wouldn’t respond. No matter what she did, he wouldn’t wake up. Paramedics arrived, but it was too late. Bryan-Andrew was pronounced dead. Jasmine was shocked. Just the night before, he was running, laughing, and playing. She couldn’t understand how he had died so suddenly.
Weeks later, doctors found the cause. Bryan-Andrew had developed a rare and aggressive infection called Streptococcus A septicemia, also known as A strep. This type of infection can lead to sepsis, which causes the body to shut down. Doctors explained that Bryan-Andrew had scratched his chickenpox, which allowed the bacteria to enter his body. “There were no warning signs,” Jasmine said. “He just had mild swelling, like mumps. No rash, nothing unusual.” Because his body was so small, he couldn’t fight the infection, and it quickly turned into sepsis.
Jasmine later found out she was 10 weeks pregnant, but due to the stress and grief, she had a miscarriage. “I almost lost my life,” she said. “I lost 75% of my blood.”
Now, Jasmine is sharing her story to warn other parents about the hidden risks of chickenpox. She hopes her loss can help others stay alert and protect their children.
