what's the story with the bolded?
I found an archived article from 96
My deepest sympathies to the Annis and Hart families on such a tragic
loss.
The following text was copied without permission from the Calgary
Herald Online Service
http://www.southam.com/calgaryherald/news/0716disease.htlm
Flesh-eating disease takes boy
13-year-old victim was grandson of Calgary
wrestling king
July 16, 1996
By JOHN GRADON and SEAN GORDON
Calgary Herald
The wrestling Harts' agonizing vigil over one of their young ones came
to an end Monday when a teenage member of the famous Calgary family
died of a strain of flesh-eating disease.
"It's just so terribly sad, so terribly sad," said 13-year-old Matthew
Annis' heartbroken father, BJ.
"I sat beside him at his hospital bed for as much of his last 12 days
as they would allow me.
"My wife Georgia and I would go on walks before all this happened and
I would say 'I'm so afraid he's going to be taken away, he's so good.
And it's happened,' " said the weeping father at his well-known
gymnasium on 7th Avenue S.E.
The huge family of Harts, famous the world over for patriarch Stu
Hart's connection to Stampede Wrestling and his sons' superstar and
champion status with the World Wrestling Federation,
gathered Monday night to mourn the passing of the boy -- one of 35
Hart grandchildren.
Matthew was admitted to hospital just under two weeks ago after
complaining of a sore throat and then a sore groin as he playfully
wrestled in the family ring at his grandparents' home, said the
boy's uncle, wrestler Davey Boy Smith, known in wrestling circles as
The British Bulldog.
The boy had also complained of nausea, sharp pains and a high fever.
Dr. Taj Jadavji, head of pediatric infectious diseases at Alberta
Children's Hospital, said the young victim was affected by group A
streptococcus bacteria, a more virulent strain of the bacterium
that causes strep throat.
"This is a very common bacteria that we see in a lot of people who
exhibit symptoms as ordinary as a sore throat.
"This bacteria can also cause invasive diseases like toxic shock,
necrotizing fasciitis, which is more commonly called flesh-eating
disease, and necrotizing myositis, which affects the muscles."
Jadavji said that despite early treatment, the bacteria spread too
quickly to be treated.
Matthew's father said: "He was just a wonderful, wonderful boy and I'm
not just saying that. Everyone knew it. He was the one that was held
up as an example to all the other 34 grandkids -- and they didn't mind
at all.
"It sounds silly but this was a golden child. This boy blessed the
earth with his presence on a daily basis."
Smith, who gave up several WWF events in Florida to join the family
vigil with his wife, said: "He was a remarkable kid. He loved
wrestling and was going to go on in the family tradition."
But he added: "When I got to Calgary he was still conscious, asking
about wrestling, asking about when fighters were going to make
comebacks, asking about my son (Harry) and wrestling with him again.
He was always smiling and cheerful."
Smith added: "But there was lots more to him, too. He was a poet. I've
just been reading some of his poems. There's one here written only
five weeks ago about his feelings over his cat dying.
"But eventually the pain was so much they had to completely sedate
him. They ended up draining 32 pounds of fluid from him."
Said Smith: "At the end it (the infection) went right through in six
hours."
Matthew's dad BJ, who along with his wife have one other son and two
daughters, said: "We must say thanks to the nurses and doctors at the
hospital. We'll never forget them. They did everything they could.
They were wonderful, wonderful, but what an awful job they have."
Jadavji believes the bacteria may have entered the Langevin Community
School student's body from a simple break in his skin.
He then apparently fell prey to streptococcal toxic shock, which
weakens internal organs and dangerously lowers the victim's blood
pressure.
Annis, whose other wrestling uncles include Bret "The Hitman" Hart and
Owen Hart, had been scheduled to have both legs and his right hand
amputated Monday in a last-ditch effort to stem the disease.
"We've seen this type of infection occur before but Matthew's is the
most serious case I've seen," said Jadavji, "This is certainly the
first fatality I've seen in my 11 years of practice."
Bloc Quebecois leader Lucien Bouchard, who lost his left leg to a
streptococcal infection in 1994, sent a sympathy note to the Annis
family.
Family friend Jerry Jackson said a memorial fund has been set up in
Matthew's name.
"This is a real tragedy, so we've set up the Memory of Matthew David
Annis trust fund so he'll always be remembered," he said.
People wishing to make donations to the fund can do so at BJ's Gym, or
at the main branch of the Royal Bank, 339 8th Ave. S.W.
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Copyright 1996 Calgary Herald