A rare condition in children that doctors say stems from COVID-19 is now showing up in Wichita as doctors diagnosed a 12-year-old girl with a multisystem inflammatory syndrome, also known as MIS-C.
According to the CDC, only a little more than 1,000 children have been diagnosed with the condition in the United States. Less than 10 of those cases have been in Kansas.
"I was beginning to think, 'Oh my god, oh my god, I’m going to lose my daughter,'" Jessica Rains said, referring to her daughter, Adalyn.
Last week, doctors told Rains that her daughter has MIS-C.
"Lots of tests everywhere," Rains said. "She has been tested for about everything you can think of. Every bacteria, every pesticide. Everything has come back completely negative."
Before those tests, Adalyn was an active pre-teen. But earlier this month, she started to feel sick, her temperature reaching 105 degrees.
"We spent the weekend vomiting, diarrhea,” Rains said. "I thought it was just some stomach bug."
It wasn’t long until Adalyn was admitted into intensive care and had to have 20 pounds of fluid removed from her body.
"We’ve had the worst week of our entire lives, and they have … done everything they can for her," Rains said.
The CDC said it’s still learning how MIS-C affects children, and it’s still unknown exactly how some kids get sick.
The CDC said symptoms include vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes and exhaustion.
Adalyn is still fighting in the hospital, but her mother said she’s doing better after steroids, dialysis and antibody treatments. Her family is hoping by sharing her story, they can help save lives.
"We have to get the word out there so that parents know what’s happening if their child is showing these signs and symptoms," Rains said.
She said doctors are using what they are learning from Adalyn to help as medical professionals work to find out more about MIS-C.
Wesley Medical Center said this is the only case of MIS-C it has diagnosed.
Ascension Via Christi said it has not seen any cases at its hospitals or clinics.
More information about MIS-C is available on the CDC's website.
This story was originally published by KSN and is published here as part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, a partnership of seven media companies, including KMUW.
