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Students wear pink Friday for Nordonia kindergartner who lost leg after strep, flu led to infection

Posted at 7:46 AM, Apr 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-07 17:37:16-04

Friends and family members of Tessa Puma are asking people to wear pink Friday to support the kindergartner who lost her leg due to an infection. 

Tessa Puma, 6, of Northfield, is being treated at Akron Children's Hospital following surgery that amputated her left leg from the knee down.

Her father, Matt Puma, said Tessa was diagnosed with strep throat in March even though she didn't seem to have the symptoms.

A few weeks later, the girl who is very active in dance and gymnastics, developed the flu and complained about pain in her arm and leg.

Doctors told the family that the strep traveled through the girl's bloodstream to her leg and caused a serious infection. Matt said a pulse could not be detected in her foot and there was too much dead tissue in her leg to save it. Therefore, the decision was made to amputate.

Tessa's favorite color is pink so Nordonia students plan to rock pink Friday in support of the girl.