At just 7 years old, a child diagnosed with symptoms similar to Stevens Johnson Syndrome caused by his epilepsy medication is still fighting for his life as the relatively mysterious disorder attacks his skin, organs and more.

Oakley Orange lives in the United Kingdom but his story mirrors that of many young epilepsy patients across the pond in the United States. What began as a rash and sent him to the hospital now appears to be the first sign of an autoimmune disease where the body attacks its mucus membranes.

According to local reports, Oakley was diagnosed with toxic epidermal necrolysis as more than 30 percent of the skin on his body died off. As he continues to recuperate, medical professionals say that over the course of his stay, his entire body suffered from burn-like damage. His parents had filled a prescription for a medication that would help limit his epileptic seizures, and that medication is believed to be the root cause of his condition.

Nearly all anti seizure medications used to treat U.S. epilepsy patients come with a black-box warning from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) about the risk of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a rare but life-threatening reaction that starts off as a skin rash and can quickly progress into symptoms similar to third-degree burns. These are the strongest advisories regarding drug side effects and they indicate that the likelihood of developing the precursor to toxic epidermal necrolysis often occurs at either the beginning of treatment or soon after a dosage change.

Treatment for these conditions is problematic, as there is no exact cure. Nearly all patients are transferred to burn units in hospitals, and many attempt to soothe inflamed or dying skin as well as occasionally prescribe steroids to reduce the immune system’s inflammatory response. However, even in the case of a relatively healthy child like Oakley, the survival rate can sometimes be just a coin flip. Doctors and nurses in hospitals can often only try to alleviate the pain and wait for the response to dissipate.

Dozens of product liability lawsuits have been filed against drug makers for failing to adequately warn about the true risks of developing side effects like Stevens Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. Many plaintiffs have been awarded millions of dollars in damages to help them pay for hospital bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.