Mathias Uribe, a teenage piano talent from Tennessee, had all four of his limbs amputated after flu-like symptoms became life-threatening. Despite losing his hands and feet, his parents are confident he will still have an “amazing life.”
A 14-year-old piano prodigy named Mathias Uribe had to have both his hands and feet amputated to save his life after starting with flu-like symptoms. When his symptoms worsened and became life-threatening, his parents rushed him to the hospital. In the end, they had to make the tough decision to amputate all four of Mathias’ limbs. His parents, Edgar and Catalina Uribe, still believe Mathias will have a future where he can run and play piano, but for now, they’re just grateful he’s alive. Catalina said, “It’s hard to watch old videos, but when I see him, I think, ‘He’s here’.”
For the past two months, Mathias has been recovering at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. He ended up there after being diagnosed with pneumonia and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which caused his heart to stop. He was put on a life-support machine called ECMO, which works like a heart-lung bypass, for nearly two weeks, saving his life.
Mathias’ father, Edgar, explained that the lack of blood flow to his hands and feet meant they had to amputate them. Mathias’ mom, Catalina, asked the doctors not to use the word “amputation” but instead say “remove.”
Dr. Katie Boyle, the ICU pediatrician leading Mathias’ care, said his condition is extremely rare and something she hardly ever sees. She explained that while the flu can sometimes lead to bacterial infections, most kids don’t get as sick as Mathias did.
Dr. Boyle said there was nothing Mathias’ parents could have done to prevent his amputations. She recommended that parents make sure their kids get flu shots and watch for serious symptoms when they’re sick, like a high fever, trouble drinking fluids, or not waking up easily. If any of these signs appear, they should go to the hospital. Mathias has had nearly a dozen surgeries so far, with more still to come.
His parents, Edgar and Catalina, hope Mathias will be able to use prosthetic limbs once he leaves the hospital. Catalina told him, “You are going to have an amazing life. You’ll go to [MIT] and do whatever you want. You have no limits because you’re here, Mathias, you’re here.”
Mathias is expected to stay in the hospital for another month, and his family is planning for him to go to Atlanta for prosthetics and rehab. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support his recovery. Edgar added, “I told him, we’ll be your arms and legs until we figure this out.”
