11-Year-Old’s ‘Food Poisoning’ Symptoms Reveal Far More Sinister Reality; Parents Shocked

A mother initially thought her 11-year-old daughter had food poisoning, however, the truth turned out to be far more alarming. The mother, Stephanie Smith, was petrified when her daughter, Aubrey, started screaming in pain. Smith initially thought it was food poisoning, which turned out to be something far more serious.

Aubrey unexpectedly started shouting in pain and agony, pointing to her left ear as the source of the pain. Smith rushed to her side, and Aubrey was immediately taken to a hospital for immediate medical attention. Shortly after, Aubrey began vomiting and slipping in and out of consciousness.

Smith and her husband sought medical help, but initial examinations showed nothing amiss, leading them to believe it was food poisoning, according to reports filed by the UK Mirror. However, further testing revealed the real cause of Aubrey’s deteriorating health.

“A CT scan revealed a large white spot on her brain,” said Smith.

“My husband Josh and I exchanged a look. Something was hiding in her brain. I was utterly terrified. She was intubated and underwent surgery the following morning,” Smith added.

“The wait for the results was excruciating. Then they informed us that it was a stroke,” Smith said.

Initially, Aubrey was being tested for an infection, flu, and strep, all of which returned negative results.

Aubrey could not stand without assistance or drink fluids without spilling. The white spot in the brain was a clotted bleed, which had fortunately stopped on its own.

Smith, 37, expressed, “We were just thankful it was not cancer. Amazingly, she did not have any side effects. Regretfully, despite the removal of the bleed, my little girl was left with debilitating anxiety. It only worsened when a routine scan detected something once again.”

Three years after the initial incident in 2019, the doctors detected that Aubrey had an arteriovenous malformation, a condition involving an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that can disrupt blood flow between arteries and veins in the brain. Unfortunately, it was in the same spot as her original bleed.

Smith said, “It could have caused a brain hemorrhage or another stroke if left untreated.”

“My heart broke. I could not bear to put her through all of that again. But Aubrey told us she wasn’t scared, and so we went through with the surgery,” Smith added.

During an 11-hour procedure, surgeons removed the entire tangle. Now, Aubrey is thriving, Smith said.