In 2016, Jasmine Shortland’s life changed forever when her 3-year-old son, Bryan-Andrew, came down with chickenpox. At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary—just some mild discomfort, a sore neck, and slight swelling. The young mother of three had no reason to believe anything was seriously wrong.

Jasmine, then 23 years old, wanted to keep her youngest baby, Ivan, from catching the virus. So, she made what she thought was a practical decision—she dropped off Bryan-Andrew and his older brother Austin at their grandmother’s house for the night. Since Austin had already had chickenpox without complications, she assumed Bryan-Andrew would recover just as easily. But what seemed like a routine childhood illness soon spiraled into an unimaginable nightmare.

Jasmine and her 21-year-old partner, Josh, had a happy life filled with love and laughter. With three beautiful children, they felt their future was bright. But nothing could have prepared them for the devastation that was about to unfold.

The next morning, Jasmine’s mother made a heartbreaking discovery—Bryan-Andrew wouldn’t wake up. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t rouse him. Panicked, she called emergency services, and paramedics rushed to the scene. But it was too late. Bryan-Andrew was pronounced dead.

Jasmine was in shock. The night before, her little boy had been full of energy, running around, laughing, and playing. How could he be gone just hours later? It didn’t make sense. She kept replaying their last interaction in her mind—his final words to her: “I love you.”

For weeks, the family had no answers. The pain of losing their son without explanation was unbearable. Then, doctors made a shocking discovery that shattered them all over again.

Medical examiners determined that Bryan-Andrew had contracted a rare and aggressive form of streptococcus A septicemia, also known as A strep. This infection can cause sepsis, a life-threatening condition where the body’s response to an infection causes widespread inflammation and organ failure.

The revelation was devastating. It turned out that Bryan-Andrew had unknowingly introduced the bacteria into his system by scratching his chickenpox sores. A tiny, seemingly harmless action had led to a fatal chain of events.

“There were no symptoms because it was so rare,” Jasmine later explained to the Daily Mail. “He just had normal symptoms for mumps. He had no rash, nothing that you would normally see.”

The infection had spread so quickly that Bryan-Andrew’s small body couldn’t fight it. The absence of warning signs left his family blindsided. One day, he was a happy, healthy boy, and the next, he was gone.

The only solace Jasmine could find was in the knowledge that her son had passed away peacefully in his sleep. He hadn’t suffered. But the nightmare wasn’t over.

Amid the grief, Jasmine discovered she was ten weeks pregnant. The news should have brought hope, but the overwhelming stress and sorrow of losing Bryan-Andrew took a heavy toll on her body. She suffered a miscarriage, nearly losing her own life in the process.

“I didn’t find out until I had severe stomach pain,” Jasmine recalled. “It was absolutely awful. I lost 75% of my blood. The nurses said there was someone watching over me that day, and I knew it was Bryan-Andrew.”

The loss of her son and her unborn baby was nearly unbearable. But Jasmine knew she had to turn her pain into something meaningful. She decided to share her story in hopes of preventing other parents from experiencing the same tragedy. She now raises awareness about the hidden dangers of chickenpox and the potential risks of scratching the sores.

Many parents think of chickenpox as a harmless childhood illness, but Jasmine wants them to understand that, in rare cases, complications can be deadly. Her message is simple: stay vigilant. If your child has chickenpox, monitor them closely and seek medical attention if anything seems unusual.

As she continues to heal from her unimaginable losses, Jasmine hopes that by sharing Bryan-Andrew’s story, she can help save lives.

Please share this important message with your friends and family. Awareness can make all the difference. Let’s honor Bryan-Andrew’s memory by ensuring that no other child has to face the same fate.