MUM'S WARNING AS SON HIT BY 'RARE CONDITION'

TEN-YEAR-OLD RUSHED TO HOSPITAL WITH SYNDROME WHICH INITIALLY 'PRESENTED AS A COLD OR FLU'

- KATIE OBORN

A PLYMOUTH mum whose little boy promised her he'd fight after being diagnosed with a rare condition wants to warn other parents of the signs.

Paula Jones says her "mother's instinct" told her something was wrong when her son Toby's bottom lip turned purple. The 10-year-old was "getting over a cold" on March 21 when she noticed the unusual symptom.

Paula began to become increasingly worried when Toby "got worse".

His face was swollen and he was struggling to breathe. He also had a high temperature.

The 40-year-old mum-of-three took Toby to the GP and was told to go to Derriford Hospital immediately.

There, Toby was diagnosed with rare condition Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The condition "presents itself as a cold or flu" at first, but is serious and needs immediate hospital treatment, according to the NHS.