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Valley mom warning others about the dangers of misdiagnosed illnesses

Posted at 9:36 PM, Sep 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-29 15:21:36-04

Lexi Schultz, 13, was diagnosed with the flu on a Monday. She died four days later.

Her mother, Taryn Schultz, is opening up about her daughter's tragic and sudden death in hopes of helping other parents.

Schultz took her daughter to the doctor for aches and pains in her arm. The doctor found she had a fever but no other serious symptoms.

Schultz said Lexi didn't even really feel "sick."

"She seemed fine in the lobby," Schultz said. "She was talking on her phone, she seemed fine."

The doctor said Lexi likely had the flu and it would last about five days. He gave her Tamiflu and a doctor's excuse to miss school.

Schultz said Lexi's symptoms stayed consistent with the flu, and on day four her fever broke.

"I thought she was getting better," Schultz said.

Lexi took a turn for the worse. Her body went into septic shock within hours and she died.

A Medical Examiner eventually identified Lexi had Streptococcus pyogenes bacteremia, meaning the strep bacteria was in her bloodstream. She never took a strep test. Schultz doesn't know if it would have been positive.

Schultz wants other parents to understand how quickly an undiagnosed infection can turn deadly.

In hindsight, she wishes she would have asked for the Strep test.

"I just want to stress the fact of awareness," Schultz said. "It's not out there as much as it should be for just a minor test."

This November marks two years since Lexi passed. Schultz started a foundation in her honor, called Live Like Lexi.