A 14-year-old drowned in her own blood after a rare fungal infection caught by breathing in mould spores caused the vessels in her throat to burst.Jade Owens died just 20 minutes after she began coughing up blood at home after developing the deadly condition known as mucormycosis.The teenager, a keen horse rider, had weeks before recovered from a bout of severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which had severely weakened her immune system.Jade’s mother Louise believed she had recovered, but her weakened state had made her susceptible to the virus, which had developed in the passageways to her lungs.The infection slowly progressed into Jade’s airways, causing necrosis to set in and the tissue and blood vessels to die, which led to profuse bleeding in her throat.Jade Owens (pictured left, in hospital recovering from a bout of severe diabetic ketoacidosis) drowned in her own blood just weeks later after catching a rare fungal infection Jade’s mother Louise (right, with Jade and her brother Aiden) believed she had recovered from her bout of KDA, but her weakened state had made her susceptible to mucormycosis It is not known where Jade came into contact with the mould spores, but her heartbroken mother now suspects it could have been due to her outdoor hobbies. Mother-of-two Louise, 35, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, has now revealed how she ran into her daughter’s bedroom to find her coughing up blood.She added: ‘It’s something I’ll never forget, walking into the room and seeing my daughter covered in blood. It was like a murder scene. ‘She choked on her own blood and had coughed it up. It was horrific to see and that will never leave me. I think about Jade every single day.’Louise added: ‘You never think anything like this will happen to you and I want to make sure no one else goes through what we have. ‘The infection is opportunistic. Jade caught it because her immune system was weaker with diabetes.’We had no idea she even had diabetes. No one else in the family has it so we had no idea what to look out for.’If only we knew about the signs then we could have done something. I feel guilty in some ways for that.’It is not known where Jade came into contact with the mould spores, but her heartbroken mother now suspects it could have been due to her outdoor hobbies (shown right)For reasons unknown, people with Type 1 diabetes are especially at risk of catching mucormycosis. Jade, the eldest of two children, took ill unexpectedly on May 20 this year.Up to then she had been her happy, normal self, who enjoyed riding horses and spending time enjoying the outdoors with her family.WHAT IS MUCORMYCOSIS? Mucormycosis is a rare, fungal infection that occurs after inhaling spores from the air or entering the skin through a cut or scrape. These mucor mould organisms can be found in soil, leaves, compost, decaying fruit or vegetables or rotting wood.The fungus does not always cause ill effects in healthy adults, but can wreak havoc on people with compromised immune systems.Symptoms first manifest as a sinus infection, fever, and headache. However, if the infection spreads, it can cause tissue loss in the palate, septum, nose, and eye.If it spreads to the lungs or brain, it can result in seizures, paralysis, pneumonia, and even death. It does not spread between people.According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, the infection occurs in 1.7 per 1,000,000 people. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical, with treatment usually consisting of anti-fungal medications and surgery. Jade had been focused on spending quality time with her family following the tragic death of her father Paul Daniels, in 2016, whose relationship with mother Louise ended in 2007.She started to complain about having a headache and flu-like symptoms and booked in to see her GP.Jade, sister to Aiden, 17 and half-sister to Abley Stock, aged one, was prescribed a course of antibiotics as her doctor feared she was suffering with a minor chest infection.But the next day, on May 21, her grandmother Charleen Owens, a nurse, suggested Jade goes to A&E after displaying rapid breathing and appearing discoloured.Beautician Louise took Jade to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport and a finger-prick test found she was in severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).DKA is a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when the body produces too much ketones, effectively turning blood acidic.It develops when the body can not produce enough insulin and leads to the breakdown of tissue.DKA can be triggered by an infection and if left untreated can be fatal.Louise, who has a partner, Neil Stocks, 45, said she had no idea her daughter’s shortness of breath and frequent trips to the toilet had anything to do with type one diabetes.It does not run in the family and there is no known cause for it and Louise explains how she simply didn’t put two and two together when Jade first got poorly.She said: ‘Jade looked very poorly and hadn’t been well all week. We went to the doctors and we thought it was just an infection and that was that. Jade is pictured with her father Paul (shown left) and her older brother Aiden, aged 17 (middle) Jade’s funeral, which featured a horse-drawn carriage, was held on July 10 earlier this year’I had no idea it would turn out to be as serious as it did. I took her to A&E and they said she was in severe DKA. They said a virus can make it worse.’Her body had stopped producing insulin and her muscles had started to break down.’Jade was kept in hospital overnight but was transferred to Manchester Children’s Hospital on May 22 after doctors grew concerned at how she responded to insulin.Her condition rapidly decreased to the point where medics were forced to place Jade into an induced coma so doctors could carry out further tests. Jade (pictured), the eldest of two children, took ill unexpectedly on May 20 this yearDoctors told a terrified Louise her daughter only had a ’50/50 chance of survival’.A further scan discovered Jade had fluid on her lungs and she was given antibiotics, insulin and food via tubes whilst in a coma for five days.And this seemed to work – when on May 27 Jade woke up – and uttered the words ‘I’m starving, can I have a McDonald’s?’Louise said: ‘We were over the moon. We thought we were getting normal Jade back again and it was an amazing feeling.’It was such a relief because we were told she was severely poorly and we thought we might lose her. She was moved onto a ward and taken off intensive care.’It as great, she was up and about, was able to shower herself and everything. At this point we were quite hopeful she might come home soon.’Louise said Jade was well in herself but still had fluid on her lungs and doctors were planning a procedure to drain the excess.Jade spent ‘two good weeks’ recovering in hospital, according to Louise, who recalls leaving her daughter in hospital on June 10 in ‘high spirits’.But the following morning at 8.05am, Louise said she received a phone call from her mum who was at Jade’s bedside. The teenager, a keen horse rider, had weeks before recovered from a bout of severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which had severely weakened her immune system’All she said is that something bad is happening. I rushed down there as fast as I could.’We were ushered into a room and the doctor said she was coughing up blood and they were trying all they could to stabilise her.WHAT IS KETOACIDOSIS? Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a dangerous build up of chemicals in the body if someone begins to run out of insulin.Insulin is a hormone which the body uses to absorb sugar to be used for muscle energy, but people with diabetes often do not produce enough.When they begin to run out, the body desperately starts to break down fat to obtain energy. This can called a build-up of chemicals called ketones which are released when fat is digested.As ketones build up to cause DKA they can begin to cause frequent urination, vomiting, stomach pain, acidic-smelling breath, breathing problems, sleepiness and confusion.If left untreated the patient can pass out or even die in extreme circumstances.It can affect either type 1 or type 2 diabetics and may be triggered by certain infections, heavy drinking or drug use, or missing doses of insulin.Anyone who suspects they have the condition should phone 111 or try to see a doctor. If suffering from serious symptoms they should go to A&E.Source: NHS ‘They were working to save her. I didn’t know what to think. I was a mess. Twenty minutes later they came in and told us she had died. It was so sudden and unexpected.’Louise said the cause of death has already been confirmed as mucormycosis, a fungal infection only found in an average of 1.7 out of every one million people.People who go into DKA, like Jade, are placed at increase risk of developing the toxic infection that can be extremely difficult to treat if not spotted early enough.The infection effectively invaded Jade’s immune system and ate away at the inside of her throat, airways and passageways to her lungs.This caused the tissue to go through necrosis – the premature death of cells in living tissue – leading to the fatal bleed.A devastated Louise said she’s still struggling to come to terms with her ‘angel’, and wants to speak out about the symptoms of type one diabetes to help raise awareness to others.She said: ‘I miss her every single day, our lives will never be the same without her. To go what we have gone through is horrific. I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what we have.’She was very tired and had experienced some weight loss but she was hungry a lot, too.’Since all this happened we have learned more about diabetes and they are symptoms of it.’Jade’s funeral, which featured a horse-drawn carriage, was held on July 10. The infection slowly progressed into Jade’s airways, causing necrosis to set in and the tissue and blood vessels to die, which led to profuse bleeding in her throat.
Girl choked to death on her own blood after breathing in MOULD and developing mucormycosis
