Chance Peniongo: Echuca came down with a headache at school. Six days later, he was dead after contracting acute necrotising encephalitis

A grieving mother has opened up about the sudden death of her youngest child in the hope that no other parent goes through the same nightmare. 

June 20 started like any other for Chance Peniongo, 13, as he headed off to school in Echuca in northern Victoria.

His mother Regina Rose picked him up from school several hours later after he began complaining about headaches.

He had dinner and watched a movie before falling asleep on the couch.

Early the next morning, Chance started experiencing seizures and was rushed to his local hospital, where he was diagnosed with influenza A.

The Year Seven student’s condition rapidly deteriorated within hours, before he was airlifted to The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne in a coma.

That night, his family were told that Chance had contracted acute necrotising encephalitis – a rare brain disease that occurs following a viral infection – and that scans showed no brain activity.

Chance never regained consciousness and died six days later surrounded by loved ones.

Regina Rose (pictured with her son Chance) doesn’t want any other parent to go through the same nightmare after losing her youngest son

Almost two months on, Ms Rose is struggling with the loss of Chance.

 ‘It’s still sinking in – it still hasn’t,’ she told Seven News.

‘To see a flu, or something so rare knock him down as fast as it did, it’s still a shock.’ 

She has opened up about Chance’s ordeal to raise awareness about the rare condition in the hope that research will save more lives.

‘I could tell immediately something was wrong,’ Ms Rose recalled.

 ‘There was a big difference from looking at him that morning to looking at him at lunchtime.

‘I didn’t know much about influenza A but it didn’t explain the seizures.

‘I didn’t understand it.’ 

The youngest of five children, Chance had recently become an uncle and adored his  nephews.

‘He loved kids and babies,’ his mother recalled.

‘(He) loved talking to everyone. He got along with everyone.’ 

the day after he complained off headaches, Chance was in a coma and airlifted to Melbourne

The youngest of five children, Chance had a big heart and a smile that would light up any room

Flu cases in Victoria have  quadrupled in recent months while emergency department presentations have increased six-fold.

Melbourne GP Dr Aadhil Aziz said Aussies can protect themselves by getting the influenza vaccine.

A fundraiser set up to help with ambulance and funeral costs to ease the financial burden on Chance’s family described the teen as an angel and diamond in the rough who lit up every room he walked into.

‘He had a huge heart and would always sense when others were sad and go out of his way to cheer them up,’ the page states.

‘It didn’t matter if you were young or old – if he sensed you were down he was going to try his best to make you smile!

‘Super popular at school he would entertain all of his classmates and teachers said that whenever he won awards the other kids would cheer him on as he did a dab, and then every kid wanted to give him a high five as he walked past. 

‘He would look out for the random kid at camp and start a conversation and decide, ‘we are going to be friends today’. He never liked anyone to be left out.’