Tragedy as Australian boy dies from 'hidden illness' (2024)

A mother who lost her young son to sepsis is urging other parents to learn its symptoms, saying that if she can help just one family, he won't have 'died in vain.'

Derek Thaiday, 12, tragically died on Sunday, June 9.

'He fell off his scooter on Tuesday and had a cold on Wednesday. When his wrist started swelling on Thursday, I thought it was just from the tumble,' Ms Thaiday told Daily Mail Australia.

'We took him to the hospital and he deteriorated in a couple days. By Sunday, he was in an induced coma and on Monday, he was on life support.'

Doctors believe Derek had a lung infection which spread to his blood, causing him to go into septic shock.

'Sepsis is a disease that kills. I've had eight kids, and I've seen them sick, but nothing like this,' Ms Thaiday said.

'Doctors were saying he was the sickest kid in Queensland, it's mind boggling because it's a disease you can't see. It's terrifying.

'People need to know the signs of sepsis. I want to scream it from the rooftops, it needs to be taught.'

Derek's family made the difficult choice to turn off his life support after his body could no longer fight the infection.

By that point, there was no circulation to his limbs and his lungs wereirreparably damaged.

'Derek fought hard to stay with us for five weeks and one day,' Ms Thaiday said.

The 12-year-old, whose mum said they preferred to be called an 'almost 13-year-old', was the family's second young child to pass away in just over a year.

Ms Thaiday's grandson and Derek's nephew, Andre Daisy, died on February 5, 2023, aged five.

He suffered a severe case of meningitis and took his last breath just four days after he started showing symptoms.

One thing his family took great comfort in was giving the little boy a personalised funeral.

The touching service involved singing and dancing at a hall decked out in Andre's favourite colours.

His casket was decorated with photos of himself and his favourite video games.

Ms Thaiday hoped to give Derek the same send off but has been forced to turn to online fundraisingafter being told she likely won't be able to access her superannuation.

'I need to do the right thing and send my child off in the best way humanly possible,' she said.

'I'm 52, I've contributed to my super and at the moment I have nothing to bury my son with - yet I've been told I don't fit the criteria to release my super early.

'I've got to beg to give my son a proper burial - you can't rest unless you know you've done everything you can.

'Thank god for things like GoFundMe, otherwise we could be giving Derek a pauper's funeral.'

Despite their limited finances, the family has started organising the details that would have meant the most to Derek.

Derek's relatives will meet his body as it arrives in Townsville, his hometown, on Thursday as preparations continue for his funeral.

His family said it is taking comfort in the 'signs' they've seen that his nephew, Andre, is waiting for him on the other side.

'It sounds crazy but on Sunday we were taken to the paediatric wing and Derek was put in Andre's room,' Ms Thaiday said.

'My daughter [Andre's mother] and I were put in the same room she and her partner stayed in the day Andre passed.

'The diseases that took them both were similar too, they were attacking their poor little bodies. Andre's attacked his brain, Derek's attacked his blood.'

Ms Thaiday added the young boys were 'very close'.

'They were each other's ride or dies, there's no one more fitting to be there for Derek,' she said.

TheGoFundMe for Derek's funeral and medical bills has received more than $3,400 from 53 donations.