Beauden Baumkirchner, 3, developed toxic shock syndrome after falling and scraping his knee.
It’s part of being a kid: you fall down, you skin your knee. But one little boy’s skinned knee has had lifetime implications after an infection led to both of his legs being amputated.
Beauden Baumkirchner, 3, skinned his knee after falling off his balance bike, which is popular among little ones for being low to the ground and not having pedals.
His parents, Juliana and Brian Baumkirchner, told Inside Edition it was a minor scrape and they were able to clean it up at home. But the next day, Beauden developed a fever, which worsened over the course of 24 hours. His knee began to swell, so they took him to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
The doctors diagnosed Beauden with a staph infection, which led to toxic shock syndrome.
"They said if we had waited a couple more hours, he wouldn’t have made it,” Juliana told Inside Edition.
Over the past two months, the brave boy has endured 18 surgeries. Besides his legs, doctors also had to remove two fingers.
“The next day after, I tried to muster up the words to explain what happened, and I just stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t do it,” Juliana said.
The family has two other children. They were visiting from Arizona when the accident happened. They say they are grateful for the outpouring of support, including from the nursing staff who dropped by for a game of peek-a-boo.
“I’m almost speechless to even describe the compassion that we feel here,” Juliana said.
Despite his ordeal, Beauden’s spirits are high. A GoFundMe has been set up to raise funds for his medical costs, including prosthetics and rehabilitation.
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