Fashion student died from Toxic Shock Syndrome just three days after 19th birthday
A FASHION student died from a Toxic Shock Syndrome just three days after her 19th birthday.
Madalyn Massabni had complained of feeling unwell when she returned to her New Jersey home from a birthday meal with her mum Dawn in March 2017.
Maddy's mum recalled seeing her the next morning, saying: "She could hardly respond to me and she couldn't speak. I don't even know if she knew who I was and I called 911 right away."
Mum-of-two Dawn said the ambulance arrived to her home, but at that point, Maddy had experienced a seizure.
Dawn told Good Morning America: "I was holding her and she looked at me and closed her eyes ... I was yelling, 'I love you so much. Please don't leave me.
"She had a heart attack in my arms and stopped breathing."
Maddy was taken to hospital where doctors tirelessly tried to revive her.
TRAGIC ENDING
However the teen's health took a turn for the worst the following day, when her family made the decision to turn off her ventilators.
Maddy, who was a fashion student at Lynn University in Florida, died just three days after her 19th birthday.
Heartbroken Dawn added: "It's been torture and hell since the day she left me. I miss her so much. I miss hearing, 'I love you, Mummy.'"
Maddy had her period over the course of her sudden illness and was using tampons.
Her official cause of death was Toxic Shock Syndrome.
What is a Toxic Shock Syndrome?
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is caused by either staphylococcus or streptococcus bacteria.
These bacteria normally live on the skin and in the nose or mouth without causing harm, but if they get deeper into the body they can release toxins that damage tissue and stop organs working.
These things can increase your risk of getting TSS:
- using tampons – particularly if you leave them in for longer than recommended or you use "super-absorbent" tampons
- using female barrier contraceptives, such as a contraceptive diaphragm or cap
- a problem with your skin, such as a cut, burn, boil, insect bite or a wound after surgery
- childbirth
- using nasal packing to treat a nosebleed
- having a staphylococcal infection or streptococcal infection, such as a throat infection, impetigo or cellulitis
TSS is not spread from person to person. You do not develop immunity to it once you've had it, so you can get it more than once.
Source: NHS
MOST READ IN NEWS
Since Maddy's death, Dawn has made it her mission to educate women and girls on TSS and safe tampon use by speaking at schools and universities.
Her 501C3 foundation, Don't Shock Me, was created in honor of Maddy to spread awareness on the infection.
Dawn added: "I know Maddy would be really grateful for lives saved. If she had made it through this, she would've been doing exactly what I'm doing."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours