Boy, 10 finds out he's got rare blood vessel disorder after vomiting
- Hayden Kissen, from Evansville Indiana , is on life support in the hospital
- His terrified parents said he began vomiting uncontrollably at a Cardinals game
- The 10-year-old has been diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP)
A 10-year-old boy has been diagnosed with an ultra-rare blood vessel disorder which left him with blotches all over his body after he began vomiting at a baseball game.
Hayden Kissen, from Evansville Indiana, is on life support in the hospital after suffering severe intestinal complications which required three emergency surgeries.
His terrified parents Joshua and Angela Kissen said he began vomiting uncontrollably at a Cardinals match and has been in extreme pain ever since.
‘He’s screaming, we’re not talking about ‘Ow, ow,’ we’re talking wails of pain,’ his dad Joshua told WFIE. ‘We’ve never seen that from him; that’s not who he is.’
Hayden was diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP), a rare condition which affects the small blood vessels of the skin, joints, intestines and kidneys.
Hayden Kissen, from Evansville Indiana , is on life support in the hospital after suffering severe intestinal complications which required three emergency surgeries
It all started at a Cardinals game at the start of April when Hayden, a fourth grader at Cynthia Heights in Evansville, could not stop being sick
‘Your child’s on life support. How do you come to grips with the fact that a machine is keeping your child alive at this point? I mean, it terrifies you,’ Joshua added.
Angela said her son is worried about what will happen to him, and he frequently reaches his hands out from his hospital bed and asks for prayers.
It all started at a Cardinals game at the start of April when Hayden, a fourth grader at Cynthia Heights in Evansville, could not stop being sick.
He was taken to the hospital, and since then has been airlifted to four separate hospitals for three emergency surgeries all within the last month.
Doctors said his small blood vessels had become inflamed due to a severe form of HSP.
It is not known what causes the condition, but it is usually triggered by a viral illness like a cold and it most often occurs in the Springtime.
Angela has posted updates about her son’s condition on her Facebook page.
In one worried post she said Hayden had been ‘vomiting a lot of blood’, but has since posted an update saying his blood readings over the weekend looked more positive.
‘His numbers look good today,’ she wrote Sunday. ‘He is having some signs of stomach ulcers (we don’t have confirmation on that yet).
‘He’s having a lot of blood coming out of his nasogastric tube. He’s also experiencing delirium from being weaned off of certain medications.
‘We are really struggling with that. It’s hard to see him going through that. It’s Hayden laying there but it’s not our Hayden when it comes to behaviors and reactions.
‘During this he’s also refusing to talk. They said it could last a few days.’
Angela Kissen has posted updates about her son’s condition on her Facebook page
His terrified parents Joshua and Angela Kissen said he began vomiting uncontrollably at a Cardinals match and has been in extreme pain ever since.
Hayden Kissen a 10 year old from Evansville, Indiana ,has been diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein purpura, a rare condition that affects the small blood vessels of the skin, joints, intestines, and kidneys
Hayden Kissen a 10 year old from Evansville, Indiana ,has been diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein purpura, a rare condition that affects the small blood vessels of the skin, joints, intestines, and kidneys
The local community has rallied around the family with fundraising events and messages of support and prayers for Hayden to make a full recovery.
HSP usually affects children between the ages of two and 10, but it can happen to anyone. Though HSP itself is not contagious the infection which triggered it may be.
There is no known way to prevent HSP. Symptoms include a skin rash which looks like small bruises or small reddish-purple spots, usually on the bottom, legs and elbows.
Patients can also suffer swelling in the hands and feet, joint pain, stomach pain, and blood in the faeces and urine if the bowels and kidneys become irritated.
HSP usually gets better by itself, but in rare cases it can lead to severe fatal complications.
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