SARASOTA, Fla. — A Sarasota toddler was diagnosed with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C), a condition associated with COVID-19.
Erin Thomassen said her son, Alex Young, contracted COVID-19 nearly two months ago.
The entire family was sick with the virus but only had mild symptoms.
"We had very minimum symptoms. It was like sniffles, headaches and of course the lack of taste and smell," said Thomassen.
The family later tested negative for the virus except for Alex. A week later, Alex received another test and the results were negative.
The toddler developed a fever and rash. Thomassen took him to an emergency room.
"He kept complaining about his neck and then said his eyeballs hurt, headache, didn't want to eat anything. The next day, he just kept getting worse," she said.
Alex was later taken to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
"He is doing so much better. It's been probably two to three weeks since he was released from the hospital. He was there for five nights. He'll be on steroids and aspirin for a while," said Thomassen.
Doctors diagnosed him with MIS-C, a condition that may occur in children who had COVID-19.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs.
Children with the virus may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling extra tired, according to the CDC.
Since mid-May 2020, CDC has been tracking reports of the rare condition.
As of September 3, 2020, CDC has received reports of 792 confirmed cases of MIS-C and 16 deaths across the country.
"He goes and gets an echocardiogram every week to make sure his heart is pumping normally. We'll be doing that for a while is what they told us," said Thomassen.
"He was one of those kids that just had fun all the time. He is super funny and rambunctious. He was really messed up. I mean it was really bad. I felt really awful, I couldn't protect him more," she added.
