'We were told our son had a urine infection... two weeks later he was gone'
26.11.2023 - 07:23
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The family of a man who died less than two weeks after being treated for a urine infection have spoken of their devastation.
Ben Boyle first fell ill back in October after receiving his flu and Covid vaccines. His mum Gillian and stepdad Alan believed he was experiencing common side effects of the jabs.
But as his fatigue and shaking symptoms worsened, the pair realised his condition was more serious than they thought, prompting them to take him to a clinic.
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With no medics free to check Ben over, the 37-year-old was rushed to a hospital in Manchester where his family learned he had a urine infection.
But in a tragic turn of events, Ben developed sepsis just three days into his hospital stay. He then contracted a virus in his blood which caused endocarditis, a rare heart infection.
Ben was born with a very rare syndrome called Bardet-Biedl, a disorder which affects many parts of the body. The condition left Ben, who was raised in Whitefield, blind with moderate learning difficulties. He also had severe joint pains.
The condition meant Ben previously received a successful kidney transplant seven years ago. But the infection was causing his kidneys to fail – meaning he was retaining more than eight litres of fluid in his body.
Ben had an emergency line inserted to allow the fluid to drain through dialysis, a procedure to remove excess liquid from the blood when the kidneys stop working properly.
Sadly, Ben’s condition continued to deteriorate and he passed away surrounded by his loved ones on November 5.
“The people that mattered were there with him,”