Allentown Fire Police sponsored a fundraiser Sept. 22 for Toseef Mughal of South Whitehall at the Allentown Fairgrounds.

Toseef, a fourth grader at Kernsville Elementary School, told The Press he was excited about the fundraiser before he went to play with his cousin Muzammil Mughal.

Allentown Fire Police Lt. Shoukat Mughal said his son Toseef contracted sepsis after having what appeared to be a cold and cough in February.

The youngster actually had strep throat, which led to sepsis, a severe infection in the blood that spread throughout his body.

Mughal said he took his son to a local hospital where he was examined and then sent home.

"Two days later, I took Toseef back to the hospital," Mughal said. "The next day, he was airlifted to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia."

Doctors amputated half his right foot, more than half of his left foot and the tips of his fingers on his left hand because of the sepsis, Mughal said.

Toseef spent 33 days at CHOP, then six to seven weeks in the inpatient unit at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, Bethlehem.

Mughal said Toseef was home about a week and half before developing a fever and needed to return to CHOP.

"Toseef still has a wound on his left foot," Mughal said.

The family is waiting for that to heal before taking him next month to get special shoes to wear.

Toseef, the son of Shoukat and Asia Mughal is the older brother to Imaan, Muguas, Noor, Haseeb and 9-month-old Malakia.

Mughal said anyone who would like to help fund research on sepsis may contact Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at 1-800-879-2467 or visit research.chop.edu/donate.