Georgia mom warns others after son, 5, contracts rare disease from tick bite

Danielle McNair of Georgia is warning parents after her 5-year-old son, Mason contracted Rocky Mountain fever from a tick bite.

On May 10th, Mason McNair was staying with his grandparents in LaGrange, Georgia, when they noticed a tick inside of Mason’s belly button. Although the tick was immediately removed, Danielle says it got infected and red. Mason also had fatigue, diarrhea, and a fever.

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McNair him to the doctor, who prescribed an antibiotic but when 10 days later, Mason’s symptoms had gotten worse, fatigue, diarrhea, fever, headaches, and pain in his abdomen (plus a head to toe rash the last day of his medication) she took her son to the doctor again. This time the doctor told her it was likely a “delayed reaction” to the antibiotic but McNair wasn’t convinced. (Good for her. Mommas know what’s going on with their kids. Never be afraid or ashamed to ask for a second opinion or question the first one you got.)

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And neither was her sister who suggested they do a tick panel on her son.

“After investigating McNair’s suspicion, Mason’s doctors confirmed that young boy did, in fact, contract Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The condition is a bacterial infection that can lead to the amputation of limbs, hearing loss, paralysis and mental disabilities, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2014, there were roughly 3,500 cases of the infection in the United States. “¹

Mason is now completely healthy thanks to a round of the correct antibiotics.

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His brave Momma said, “This has been a horribly scary experience for our family. I’m thankful that I did my own research and brought it to my doctors attention. So don’t EVER be afraid to be an advocate for your child or yourself when it comes to things like this!”¹