Linzi Gauld who thought her four-year-old son Ollie Gauld was faking a sore arm after a playground knock was left terrified when doctors discovered he was suffering from osteomyelitis – a rare and potentially serious bone infection.
09:35, 08 Jan 2026Updated 09:39, 08 Jan 2026
Ollie with mum Linzi
A mum thought her son was faking a bent arm for attention as his brother was poorly – but it was a sign of a rare bone infection.
Linzi Gauld noticed her four-year-old son Ollie Gauld couldn’t fully stretch his left arm in May 2025, but put it down to him having fallen over while playing football.
The 32-year-old said she thought Ollie might be faking the injury for attention after his seven-year-old brother Alfie Gauld had been unwell the week before.
The vet receptionist noticed Ollie wincing when taking his shirts and jumpers on and off and that he eventually stopped using his left arm, later that month.
Linzi took the tot to a GP who suggested his arm may be broken and referred him to a children’s hospital. There doctors performed an x-ray and, as it showed no signs of a broken bone, advised Linzi to bring Ollie back if there was no improvement within a week.
Two days later Linzi rushed Ollie back to hospital as something ‘wasn’t sitting right’ with her about Ollie’s condition. The mum-of-two said doctors then warned it could be something more serious and suspected a bone infection, putting Ollie on an IV drip and antibiotics.
Ollie in hospital.
An MRI scan revealed the tot had osteomyelitis, a painful bone infection that can cause serious long-term problems if not treated. Ollie stayed in hospital for a week and Linzi is currently keeping an eye on his arm as doctors said the infection could return.
Linzi, from Aberdeen, Scotland, said: “It started with taking off his t-shirt or jumper at night time and putting it on in the morning. He would go ‘ouch.’
“I thought it was odd but his older brother had been [feeling poorly] so we thought maybe he was doing it for attention.
“He plays football and he just falls so I thought maybe he twisted his arm.
Linzi with Alfie and and Ollie.
“It got to the point where he wasn’t using it much and wasn’t straightening it and I thought ‘that’s a bit weird’ and thought we’d go to the doctor’s.
“She [the doctor] said she thinks it’s broken. We went to the hospital and they did an x-ray and said it doesn’t show any breaks.
“They said to contact them in a week if it doesn’t get any better. I was at home thinking ‘it can’t be anything bad’.
Ollie couldn’t fully stretch his left arm in May 2025, but put it down to him having fallen over while playing football.
“He was still acting like a normal toddler, he wasn’t being any different. I waited another two days and something wasn’t sitting right with me so I thought I’d go back to the hospital.
“They got the orthopaedic surgeon to have a look and she said doing an MRI would confirm what it was but there was definitely an infection.
“At that point they talked about blood cancer and said it could be leukaemia. I thought ‘oh my God, I thought we would only go home in a cast.’
Ollie had a rare bone infection
“Luckily it didn’t turn out to be leukaemia. He was put to sleep for an MRI scan and it confirmed it was osteomyelitis.
“We started on the IV and antibiotics and then on the Monday he had the MRI scan. It’s quite rare to have it where he had it.
“I was scared for his life, I was told you have to watch for sepsis and things with infections.”
Linzi with her boys
The mum was warned the infection could return somewhere else in Ollie’s body and she was advised to treat his recovery like a broken bone.
Linzi said: “You don’t think of it, it’s something I had never heard of. We were told to treat it like a broken bone so he can’t do many things normal toddlers do.
“As a mum you just know when something is not 100%, I still didn’t feel happy with him.
“He had a sore arm but he hadn’t fallen or anything, it could just appear again somewhere else.”
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WHAT IS OSTEOMYELITIS? Osteomyelitis is a painful bone infection that usually clears up if treated early with antibiotics. It can cause serious long-term problems if it’s not treated. Osteomyelitis usually causes severe pain, most often affecting the legs, but it may affect other parts of the body.