A 15-year-old is fighting for her life after contracting TSS

Every woman who gets her period has been warned of TSS —Toxic Shock Syndrome,a very serious, life-threatening bacterial infection. But rarely do we witness actual, real-life cases of it. Until now.

Rylie Whitten, 15, became ill over two weeks ago with what was thought to be the flu. “She’s young, healthy, never had any medical problems whatsoever. She was lying in bed,” her father, Nate, told WZZM-TV. “All the sudden, she was moaning. This is not Rylie at all.” It turned out that Rylie had contracted TSS.

In fact, it turned out that Rylie had an infection that led to one of the worst cases of toxic shock syndrome that doctors in West Michigan had ever witnessed. She was put on intensive life support. 

Up to half the cases of TSS can be fatal, and Rylie’s life has been hanging in the balance for weeks. Her case was determined to be the result of a high-absorbency tampon. . . even though she was using it correctly.

“She is definitely the sickest toxic shock syndrome patient I have ever taken care of,” Dr. Rajasekaran told HealthBeat.

“[TSS] took over all of her major organs and shut them down,” Nate told People. “We’re so lucky we caught it when we did, otherwise she wouldn’t be with us.”

A Facebook group called “Prayers for Rylie” now has over 3,000 members, with hundreds commenting to express their support and send well wishes to the Whitten family, as well as offer help if they may need it. Members of the community have held a prayer vigil at the local church and a half-time show at her high school — where she is a member of the dance team — all dedicated to her.