THE BOY WHO LOST HIS LEGS
Keaton Grassie was nine years old when a sudden, rare but deadly infection changed his life forever. It also changed the lives of his parents and younger brother.
But Keaton is lucky to be alive.
It was a summer day like any other when Keaton went out to play, feeling fine. His mother Katie recalls that it was only twenty minutes later when he returned home feeling ill. Soon he had a raging fever and by the middle of the night he was hallucinating. When his parents saw strange blotches on his legs, they rushed him to hospital. Keaton was being attacked by a bacteria called meningococcus. Blood clots were forming all over his body and if the doctors couldn’t get his blood flowing again, he would lose his arms and his legs. However, to stop the clotting required blood thinning drugs that could cause a fatal reaction. Katie and her husband Ed had to make a terrifying decision. They chose the risk of the blood thinners because they thought that’s what Keaton would want, and they hoped it would mean no amputations.
Weeks went by, Keaton got better and underwent several skin grafts to repair tissue damage but in the end, his legs could not be saved. Both were severed just below the knee.
By this time, Keaton was ten and confident that he would walk again soon, looking forward to the day he would have his prosthetic limbs. He could not anticipate the long and painful struggle that would frustrate both him and his family for months to come. Even after countless hours of physiotherapy and more surgery, Keaton cannot get comfortable with his new legs. Katie feels she must push him to wear them, but she doesn’t want to hurt him. Hers is also a painful struggle.
The documentary follows Keaton, his parents, and a little brother who just wants things to be normal, as they learn to cope with their new reality. Their journey is filled with obstacles and though it seems at times impossible, it is also an inspiring testament to human resilience and to a mother’s patience. Keaton is a remarkable young person who confronts his new life with grit and endurance, and a smile on his face.
The Boy Who Lost His Legs is a CBC Newsworld in-house production. The producer/director is Leonardo Palleja. The executive producer is Renée Pellerin.
