A teenage girl shares her story of fighting for life after coming down with the flu.

In September we shared that teenager, Mercedes King, 14, was rushed to Mackay Base Hospital after her father noticed her breathing was shallow, the Daily Mercury reports.

Mercedes’ organs began rapidly shutting down, so doctors placed her in an induced coma and flew her to Brisbane.

Mercedes battled with influenza b, pneumonia, sepsis and an unknown bacterial infection in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital.

Her family shared at the time how, “They are by her side around the clock, holding her hand… they are extremely anxious about whether they can keep their family together,” the teenager’s aunt, Renne Shannon, wrote on GoFundMe.

Mr King’s cousin, Tennille Wise, said Mercedes’ case should be treated as a warning to all parents.

“There was no sign of anything like this happening, she is a young, fit, healthy girl…” Ms Wise told the newspaper.

“It happened really quickly and they almost lost their daughter.

“If your child has the flu go and get it checked, because that’s all Mercedes had on Monday.”

UPDATE 6 November 2017

The teenager has made an incredible recovery after coming close to death while battling the horror flu.

Mercedes has finally returned home almost three months after she was put in a coma on life support.

“She was very, very, very sick, they wouldn’t say what was going to happen the next day, it was just hour by hour really,” her mother Becky Seadon recalls to 7 news.

Her recovery is being labelled as one of the most remarkable doctors have seen.

“When I was coming off my medication I saw an outline of an angel on the roof,” Mercedes revealed to 7 news.

“Someone was watching over her, someone was for sure,” her mother added.

VACCINATE!

It’s not too late to get the flu jab, according to medical expert Penny Adams.

More than 70,000 people have been struck down this flu season, it’s the best measure to ensure you and your family don’t end up being struck down by the sniffles, Ms Adams told TODAY co-host Lisa Wilkinson.

Experts believe unvaccinated children are to blame, and are encouraging all parents to ensure their kids get the jab.
“The best thing is to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate,” she said.

Tips to beat the flu

Pain relief for aches and pains (vicks, eucalyptus to help with cold symptoms)
Stay home if you are unwell so you don’t spread infection
Visit your GP
Drink lots of fluids
Immunise!
Rest!
Good hygiene

Good hygiene includes:
– washing your hands regularly and properly with soap and water, particularly after touching your nose or mouth, and before handling food
– sneezing and coughing into tissues then throwing them away immediately and washing your hands
– cleaning surfaces such as your keyboard, telephone and door handles regularly to get rid of germs
– not sharing cups, plates and cutlery
– where you can, avoid sharing towels with other people and throw disposable tissues and paper towels in the bin immediately after using them.

Has your family been knocked down with the flu?

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