5-Year-Old Girl Dies After Being Misdiagnosed by Doctors as Having a Cold
Cathy Kassis, 5, was misdiagnosed by doctors with the common cold, but died from the bacterial infection strep A.
A family is dealing with the unexpected loss of their 5-year-old daughter.

Justin Sutton, a resident of Bathurst, Australia, recounted how his 5-year-old stepdaughter, Cathy Kassis, was taken to the doctor’s office by her mother, Jasmine Worobez. Doctors said Cathy was only suffering from a cold and would soon recover.

But medical professionals later realized Cathy had been infected with strep A, a bacterial strain that initially causes a sore throat, scarlet fever, and skin lesions, News.com.au reported.

By the time the infection was identified, it had progressed to the point that Cathy’s body was in a state of collapse, leaving little chance of recovery.

“After three days, he lost his voice completely, so obviously we were a little worried,” Sutton told 7News. “But the doctors just said it was a viral infection and we should continue with what we were doing and let it run its course.”

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But soon, he stopped breathing properly. “I wasn’t breathing properly… it was almost like an asthma attack, or like watching someone with emphysema trying to breathe,” Sutton said.

During Cathy’s hospitalization, doctors tested her for COVID-19 and RSV, both of which came back negative. Eventually, they informed her family that Cathy had a viral infection and discharged her to return home.

A few days later, on August 28, Cathy’s lips were reported to have turned purple. Her mother called an ambulance.

“He was losing consciousness intermittently and collapsed in Jazz’s arms,” Sutton said.

While on the phone with emergency services, Sutton administered CPR for approximately 15 minutes. Paramedics arrived shortly afterward.

Cathy was airlifted to Westmead Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

“We were informed that she had been declared brain dead. The coroner determined the cause of death to be Strep A, and Westmead discovered this through a simple throat swab,” Sutton said.

Strep A kills 50,000 people worldwide each year and affects approximately 750 million people. Australia has witnessed a surge in cases of this disease in children, as revealed by a study published in Lancet Regional Health. Between July 2018 and December 2022, three children died from complications arising from Strep A infection. The study examined data from the Pediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network, highlighting alarming statistics. The study identified a troubling statistic: 280 pediatric patients under the age of 18 were admitted to five major Australian children’s hospitals located in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, all with the same infection.

Among these young patients, 84 experienced serious complications, including toxic shock and the devastating necrotizing disease known for its carnivorous properties.

Group A strep infections are common during childhood and typically cause mild, short-term illnesses that respond well to antibiotics. Transmission of these bacteria usually occurs through close contact with an infected person through activities such as sneezing, coughing, or touching an open wound. However, in rare, sporadic cases, group A strep infection can become severe and develop into a serious form of illness known as invasive group A strep.

“It could have been treated with a conventional course of antibiotics,” Sutton told the outlet. “But what I’ve told everyone is that we’ll worry about those doctors later, because that’s a fight for another day. We just want people to be aware of this and trust their instincts when something doesn’t feel right.”

However, amid these tragic circumstances, Sutton expressed that Cassie’s legacy lives on thanks to the fact that she saved the lives of three young children through her selfless organ donation.

“I just want people to know who Cathy is and what she accomplished,” Sutton said. “She embodies a true superhero, and not many people can say that. Something that was the worst moment of our lives… at least she was able to save three other families, which is a beautiful thing.”

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page has been created to support Cassie’s family during this difficult time.