Mia Williams
Two sisters ended up in intensive care after using ‘super plus’ tampons that left them in a life threatening state.
Javon Johnson, the mother of the two girls who nearly died after using the tampons, said that both sisters suffered days before the serious condition developed.
Symptoms they experienced included nausea, high fevers, and redness on the palms of their hands, which Javon mistook for heatstroke.
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Her daughter, Devine Johnson, was the first of the two to fall ill with sepsis, which developed due to toxic shock syndrome (TSS); a serious reaction to tampons.
The 21-year-old spent a week in intensive care, where she was looked after for her fatal symptoms.
The 46-year-old mother-of-six feared she was going to lose her second-eldest daughter as she said her organs were at risk of shutting down.
However, her terrible experience became a million times worse, when one of her other daughters, Jaya, 17, received the same diagnosis just 30 days after her sister.
They had both used a tampon from the same box, which caused the awful condition. Javon now knows it was because of ‘high potency chemicals’ within the tampons.
Javon is now calling on other mothers and girls to pay attention to the different sizes of tampons, advising those with light cycles not to use the super plus variety of the period product.
She said: “We honestly thought we were going to lose them [the girls].
"They were both in really bad shape.
“It was a touchy situation because their organs were inflamed and at risk of shutting down.
"We were watching the monitors constantly.
“My husband and I just stood there in shock.
"We couldn't believe this had actually happened to us again.
“What are the odds?
"We just got one kid out of the ICU, who is still recovering, and now we've got another kid who was about to start this process again, but she looked worse.
"It was touch and go the first time and now we're doing it again.
"My husband and I are grateful because both of them survived it."
Talking about what her daughters will do going forward, she added: “They don't use tampons anymore.
“The family doctor and the doctor in Florida said they can't use them.
"They're not sure why but they don't think they can handle the potency of the tampons.
“He reckons they never will.
"I'm worried it could happen to my other daughters.
“Nobody can use them so we don't keep them in the house.
"I wish people would pay attention to the different kinds of tampons.
"I didn't think people would believe it happened to two of my girls within 30 days of each other in the same year.
“That was unrealistic odds."