An eleven-year-old who suffered an allergic reaction to a painkiller has developed a rare condition and sheds his skin like a – snake.
Calvin Lock, 11, almost died after taking a small dose of ibuprofen – which caused the extremely rare reaction.
His entire body burst into blisters before his hair and finger nails fell out leaving him looking he had been burnt alive.
The bizarre condition is known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) which causes the cells in skin to die before shedding like a snake.
The severe reaction caused Calvin to loose a whopping 65 per cent of his skin.
Calvin was so ill his parents were told he had little chance of survival after he was put on life support for an astonishing three days.
But Calvin made a miraculous recovery after having to teach himself to walk again.
Mum Robyn Moult, 38, and dad Daryn Chambers, 47, plan to launch their own charity to help raise awareness about SJS and warn the dangers of ibuprofen.
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Mum-of-four Robyn said it “looked like someone had poured petrol all over him and then set him alight.”
She said: “It’s been a tough time for us all, especially Calvin.
“We just feel so lucky to have him here with us as we were warned to expect the worse when they put him on the life machine.
“The severity of the allergic reaction was what was so frightening. Literally every part of his body had blistered.
“Calvin literally looked like someone had poured petrol all over him and then set him alight. It was heartbreaking.
“It’s affected him in many ways as he’s your typical 11-year-old boy.
“His vision has been affected as his eyes were so badly blistered and he even had to teach himself how to walk again.
“Losing his hair has been tough and he hates the fact his skin looks so different but his strength has just been amazing.
“He is handling it unbelievably and we’re so, so proud of him.”
The horrific reaction happened on September 26, after Calvin took ibuprofen to fight a viral infection.
He woke up the next morning with a rash on his face and a slight swelling to his ear.
Calvin was taken to a GP and at first doctors believed it was chicken pox and gave him more antibiotics.
The following day swelling and rashes to spread across Calvin’s body and his worried parents called NHS direct who told them to rush him to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
He was put on a drip and work started on treating more than 200 blisters that had appeared on his body.
When his condition continued to deteriorate, Calvin had to be put on a life support machine three days before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital in Essex.
Calvin’s family were told his condition was critical and that his chances of survival were slim.
Doctors at Broomfield Hospital removed 65 per cent of his skin and his hair and fingernails also fell out.
Calvin underwent two operations and after two days he was finally able to breathe by himself.
After a week in hospital Calvin had his feeding tube removed and he could eat again.
Calvin’s condition continued to improve and he was allowed back home to Littleport, Cambs., on October 19.
SJS affects just three in a million people and is usually triggered by an adverse reaction to medication. The mortality rate is around 15 per cent.
Victims develop terrible scarring all over their bodies and well as severe conjunctivitis which can lead to blindness and mouth infections which can stop them eating.
