In less than 24 hours, fun-loving, energetic four-year-old Althea went from feeling sick to fighting for her life. What started as the flu, soon took a devastating turn. Althea had a low-grade fever, then dizziness, then a seizure.
Doctors said the flu virus attacked her brain; a rare condition called Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy.
“It was very clear that something was not right and even though she was having a seizure, she was very sleepy from the inflammation,” said Caitlin Lyons, Althea’s mother. “So I think if she’d not been so sleepy I would have even skipped the pediatrician but gone right to the emergency room.”
Althea spent three weeks in the hospital, including time in the ICU at Mass General, as her family waited and prayed she would recover.
“It came out of nowhere. Quite literally healthy one day and on death’s door the next,” said Lyons. “We could never have done anything to prevent what happened to Althea.”
Flu season has hit Massachusetts hard, with the virus claiming the lives of four children in the state.
“Know your kid, know what’s abnormal and maybe take them to the pediatrician. I know that’s an inconvenience but if that’s all that is, it’s hardly an issue,” said Lyons.
Lyons said her daughter was vaccinated, and believes that may have saved her life.
“We’re just unbelievably lucky. It was just luck, and medical intervention, and acting quickly,” she said. “It’s a miracle that she’s here with us and doing as well as she is.”
Doctors told the family only about 10-percent of children with this condition make a full recovery.
“She’s not totally there yet, her fine motor skills have deteriorated and she’s got a bit of a shake right now, that is something we’ve been told should correct itself overtime,” said Lyons.
Against all odds, Althea survived. She is now back home with her parents and her seven-year-old brother, which her family calls nothing short of a miracle.
“They told us about three to six months before she’s fully back,” said Lyons. “She’s here with us, that’s all that matters.”
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