He lost his hands and feet, but two year-old Robbie is the happiest kid on the block
Flapping his arm buds and squealing in delight, it’s hard to believe that just 19 months ago, Robbie Buchan was on the brink of death after contracting a deadly bacterial infection.
As the two-year-old’s giggles fill his parents’ Perth home, their faces light up. It’s a sound they thought they’d never hear again.
After being struck down with meningococcal disease, doctors were forced to amputate both of Robbie’s legs from the knees, most of his right arm and his left arm from the elbow.
‘A doctor told us he suspected Robbie had meningococcal disease. Bacteria was multiplying in his blood vessels, creating purple bruises or haemorrhages and releasing toxins into his body,’ Desiree recalls.
The terrified parents were told to prepare themselves to say goodbye to their son, if a small operation to insert an antibiotic line into his body was unsuccessful.
‘No-one should have to go through this,’ Desiree says. ‘We are campaigning to make the already available meningococcal B vaccine free to Australian families.’ She adds that if they can save just one family from going through what they did, it will mean the world.
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