Jennifer White with her daughter Olivia. Photo: Varia Studio
One day, in late 2012, my then-five-year-old daughter, Olivia, complained that her ear was hurting. My husband, Glenn, took her to a walk-in clinic, where she was prescribed amoxicillin. When I got home and heard that Glenn had given her the first dose, I remembered that years before, she had developed spots after taking it. Back then, the doctor said that the reaction was common and she would likely grow out of it.
A couple of days later, on Wednesday, she sang in her end-of-year concert. On the last day of school, Friday, she was sent home after complaining that she wasn?t feeling well. I pulled up her shirt and noticed a couple of spots on her belly. Back to another doctor, who checked her ears, did a once-over and told us that it?s probably a reaction and to stop giving her the antibiotic. ?Go home,? he said. On Sunday, there were more spots, and they were looking purplish. Olivia was so self-conscious about the spots making her look ?ugly? that she didn?t want to go to our family Christmas event. She changed her mind when I gave her a pretty dress and my fur wedding stole as a cover-up. But when we got there, she was clearly out of sorts. She sat and watched movies. My cousin, a paramedic, took a look at her and said that she was probably dehydrated and to give her a couple of Popsicles when we got home. She refused to drink or eat anything, though?even the Popsicles. The next day, on Christmas Eve, Glenn t...