Five-year-old Cathy Kassis died of bacterial strep A after doctors misdiagnosed her with the common cold.
A family is coping with the untimely death of their daughter, who is five years old.

Australian resident Justin Sutton, who lives in Bathurst, described how his 5-year-old stepdaughter, Cathy Kassis, was brought to the doctor by her mother, Jasmine Worobez. According to the doctors, Cathy just had a cold and would get better soon.

However, according to News.com.au, medical personnel later discovered that Cathy had contracted strep A, a bacterial strain that first causes skin lesions, scarlet fever, and a sore throat.

Cathy had little chance of recovery because the infection had spread to the point where her body was collapsing by the time it was discovered.

Sutton told 7News, “Obviously we were a little worried because after three days he lost his voice completely.” “However, the doctors simply stated that it was a viral infection and that we should keep doing what we were doing and let it go.”

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He soon stopped breathing correctly, though. “My breathing wasn’t correct. Sutton compared it to witnessing someone with emphysema struggle to breathe or experiencing an asthma attack.

Doctors tested Cathy for RSV and COVID-19 while she was in the hospital, but the results were negative. After some time, they told her family that Cathy had a viral infection and sent her home.

On August 28, a few days later, it was said that Cathy’s lips had turned purple. Her mom dialed 911.

According to Sutton, “he was collapsing in Jazz’s arms and losing consciousness intermittently.”

Sutton performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for about fifteen minutes while he was on the phone with emergency services. The paramedics showed up soon after.

After being airlifted to Westmead Children’s Hospital, Cathy was declared deceased.

She had been pronounced brain dead, we were told. With a straightforward throat swab, Westmead was able to confirm the coroner’s conclusion that Strep A was the cause of death, Sutton said.

Every year, Strep A affects about 750 million people worldwide and claims the lives of 50,000 people. According to a study in Lancet Regional Health, the number of children in Australia who have this disease has increased. Three children lost their lives as a result of complications from a Strep A infection between July 2018 and December 2022. The study highlighted concerning statistics by looking at data from the Pediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network. A concerning statistic was discovered by the study: 280 children under the age of 18 who had the same infection were admitted to five major children’s hospitals in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.

84 of these young patients suffered from severe side effects, such as toxic shock and the debilitating necrotizing disease, which is characterized by its carnivorous nature.

Children frequently contract group A strep infections, which usually result in mild, transient illnesses that are effectively treated with antibiotics. Close contact with an infected person through coughing, sneezing, or touching an open wound is typically how these bacteria are spread. In rare, isolated instances, however, a group A strep infection may worsen and progress into invasive group A strep, a dangerous illness.

“A standard course of antibiotics could have been used to treat it,” Sutton told the outlet. We’ll worry about those doctors later, though, because that’s a battle for another day, I’ve told everyone. All we ask is that people understand this and follow their gut feelings when something doesn’t feel right.

But despite these terrible events, Sutton said Cassie’s legacy endures because of her selfless organ donation, which saved the lives of three young children.

Sutton stated, “I just want people to know who Cathy is and what she accomplished.” Few people can say that she truly embodies the qualities of a superhero. The worst thing that ever happened to us was that she was able to save three other families, which is a wonderful thing.

To help Cassie’s family through this trying time, a GoFundMe page has been set up.