ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — An Alexandria teen is home after spending weeks at the hospital, recovering from what doctors diagnosed as MIS-C, a multisystem inflammatory syndrome found in children.
“Initially the doctors were fairly stumped,” said Greg Laurent.
Greg says he and his wife first noticed Caleb had a high fever days before Caleb’s birthday on December 23rd.
“He said he had a stomach ache, loss of appetite,” said Greg .
As Caleb’s fever grew, his parents rushed him to the emergency room.
“The doctor said, 'I feel if he got here an hour or two later, it would have been too late,'” said Greg. “And my wife and I said, 'We’re losing him, he’s starting to die, I think.'”
Caleb was eventually diagnosed with MIS-C, a condition where different body parts can become inflamed. He was placed on a breathing tube and later airlifted to Children’s Minnesota, where he spent weeks recovering.
“We do know of other inflammatory like symptoms and this occurs after COVID infection and usually in the 2-4-week period,” says Dr. Aimee Sznewajs, with Children’s Minnesota.
Greg says Caleb and his family were all diagnosed with COVID-19, nearly a month before he was rushed to the hospital, but Caleb says his symptoms were mild. “I had stuffy nose, and I felt a little more tired,” said Caleb.
So far, there have been 61 cases of MIS-C in the state of Minnesota. Doctors say there are still a lot of unknowns about the illness.
“MIS – C is rare. Less than one and 1 ½ % of all children who get COVID will get MIS-C, and a much smaller percentage of that number will die,” said Dr. Sznewajs.
While Caleb is on the road to recovery. “I feel good,” said Caleb. The family is grateful to have him home by their side.
A GoFundMe page was started to help the family.
If you would like to learn more about MIS-C, visit the CDC’s website here.