A seven-year-old boy died after he suffered seven heart attacks when he was stung by a one of the most toxic scorpions in South America.
Luiz Miguel Furtado Barbosa from the municipality of Anhembi, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, was getting dressed to go camping with his family on 23rd October.
The scorpion struck with an agonisingly painful sting while Luiz was putting on his shoes
His mother Angelita Proenca Furtado, 44, told local media: “As soon as he put it on, he screamed in pain.
“As we didn’t find what had stung him, we kept looking.
“But his leg started to turn red and he said that the pain was increasing.
“That’s when I imagined that it really was a scorpion and that I needed to find it to find out which one it was.”
Local media reported that the family found the animal a Brazilian yellow scorpion – or Tityus serrulatus- in their home.
The creepy crawly is the most dangerous scorpion in South America and is responsible for the most fatal cases due to its extremely toxic venom.
Angelita and her husband Eraldo Barbosa rushed their son to the University of Sao Paulo Faculty of Medicine Clinics Hospital.
Luiz was immediately hospitalised in the pediatric unit and his condition even showed an improvement the next day.
His mother Angelita said: “They even removed him from some medication.
“He opened his eyes, tried to talk to me. I kissed him and he had to be sedated again, because he was very agitated.”
But after having suffered a series of cardiac arrests he worsened and died on Tuesday, 25th October.
Following his death, Angelita said: “We were getting ready to go camping, because he loved playing in the water.
“He, as usual, was very anxious. He seemed to want to live everything he had to live in a single day.
“Today, I realise that it’s as if he was really in a hurry to live.”
The 44-year-old mother who also has another son Joao Felipe, 5, said she is grateful for the time spent with her son.
She added: “I decided that I would make the lesson that Miguelzinho left me worth it as he taught me how to be a mother.
“And I will be for Joao what I may have stopped being for Luiz. We have to have this mindset instead of feelings of guilt.
“Not to go back in time and do something different, but I can be different for Joao.”
Officials from the municipality of Anhembi expressed their sympathies and offered their support to Luiz’s family through their Facebook page.
The City Hall of Anhembi reported that they have recorded a total of 54 incidents involving scorpions since the beginning of the year.
They added: “Accidents involving scorpions are not rare because the municipality is located on the banks of the Tiete River and has a large forest area.”
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Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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