NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When bad things happen to good people it can be really hard to understand.
This summer, a 14-year-old Hendersonville boy needed both his legs and hands amputated.
Back in June, Mathias Uribe was feeling pretty sick. His dad took him to a local hospital where his illness quickly progressed to septic shock, which is extremely rare. Mathias went into cardiac arrest for six minutes at that hospital. He had to be airlifted to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt where there was an available ECMO machine.
Twelve days of ECMO saved Mathias' organs. However, it wasn't enough to save his hands or legs. They did not receive enough blood during that time and had to be amputated.
"We are going through this together," said Catalina Cardona, his mother.
His parents have been so impressed by their son's strength. Naturally, the surgeries have been hard on the boy. He's an active teenager who also loves chess and piano.
"We told him we're going to be your arm and legs," said Edgar Uribe, his father.
Prosthetics and rehab will likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over Mathias' lifetime. The family anticipates that wheelchairs, therapies, modifications to their home and vehicles will be expensive too. There is a GoFundMe set up for Mathias' family to help them with the costs.
