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A mum has told of the heartbreaking moment her son was left fighting for his life – after a horrific allergic reaction to epilepsy medication made his skin fall off.

Kaleigh Drayton, 25, said: "I couldn't even hug him, as his skin could have fallen off in chunks."

Little Ellis Stacey, five, developed a one-in-a-million condition that gripped his body, covering his skin in agonising blisters.

Within days, the skin on his face, back, arms and legs had peeled off.

His devastated parents, Kayleigh and aerospace technician Carl Stacey, 26, were warned that he could die within days as the condition ravaged his body.

Thankfully, the youngster has now made a full recovery and is back at school.

Ellis' ordeal began in September 2013 when he suffered an epileptic fit on his first day of school.

His GP prescribed Tegretol – a common drug for epilepsy – and Ellis was advised to rest at his home in Winton, Bournemouth.

But within days, he had developed a painful red rash.

(Image: Hotspot)

Mum-of-two Kayleigh said: "Ellis kept telling me that he felt poorly. I knew something wasn't right, so I took him back to the GP.

"He basically told me that everything was fine, but I wouldn't give up.

"I asked for a second opinion, and it was only then that I was told Ellis was having a serious allergic reaction and that I needed to take him to a hospital."

By the time the family arrived at the Poole Hospital in Dorset, Ellis' condition had deteriorated dramatically.

His face had swollen and he had agonising red blisters in his mouth and throat.

Hooked up to a morphine drip to ease the pain, Ellis was unable to eat and required around-the-clock care.

Two days later, after Ellis was transferred to the Southampton General Hospital, he was diagnosed with the life-threatening condition Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which kills up to 40% of sufferers.

Doctors warned Ellis' parents that he might not make it through to the next week.

(Image: Hotspot)

Kayleigh said: "We were absolutely devastated. Ellis was so frightened and kept asking why he hurt so much.

"Because of all of the morphine, he was completely out of it and didn't understand what was going on.

"I couldn't even hug him, as his skin could have fallen off in chunks.

"It broke my heart to see him so afraid, but Carl and I had to stay strong for him.

"We were terrified that we were going to lose him forever."

Over the next two weeks, Kayleigh and Carl watched nervously as Ellis was attached to a feeding tube and pumped with steroids to treat the reaction.

To save his skin and sight, doctors applied eye drops and changed his dressings every two hours.

It was essential that his eyes and lips were kept lubricated in order to prevent his eyes from scarring and his lips from fusing together.

(Image: Hotspot)

Finally, after a nightmare three weeks in hospital, Ellis was well enough to return home in October 2013.

Kayleigh said: "We just prayed that he would pull through. Our friends and family helped out as we spent all of the time we could by his side.

"When I could hug him for the first time, it was the best feeling ever. We'd come so close to losing him, and I never wanted to let him go.

"He was still very poorly, but we knew that we were over the worst of it."

Ellis quickly settled back into family life with his little sister, Belle, two, and soon began to recover.

Although he still has scarring and now suffers from asthma, he is now fully recovered.

Kayleigh said: "He's excited to be back at school, although he does prefer playtime to his lessons!

(Image: Hotspot)

"It's brilliant to see Ellis so happy again, and his dad and I are so proud of him.

"He's on a new medication for his epilepsy, which he's responding really well to.

"I'm so grateful that doctors were able to treat Ellis in time."

Professor of Dermatology at University Hospital Southampton, Eugene Healy, said: "Fortunately with expert medical and nursing help, many patients survive Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

"However, it is essential for the patient never to take the culprit drug again as long as they live, otherwise there is a very high risk of an even worse reaction."

A spokesperson for Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd, who manufactures Tegretol, said: "We are committed to patient safety and strictly comply with local and international regulations.

"Serious dermatological reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, have been reported very rarely with Tegretol."