A 10-year-old boy from Michigan has been diagnosed with a unique medical condition as a result of contracting COVID-19 and will need to have his legs amputated.
Dae'Shun Jamison told his mom that he was experiencing a fever on Dec. 21, and she took him to the hospital immediately, according to Fox 17 in West Michigan. After screenings, doctors diagnosed him with a rapidly spreading inflammatory syndrome called MIS-C, a rare condition affecting some children.
"There's thought that there could be a genetic trigger, but we just don't know yet what that genetic trigger is or if it affects some populations more than others," Dr. Rosemary Olivero, pediatric infectious diseases physician and division chief at Spectrum Health, said. "We've seen MIS-C happen to children of all pediatric ages, races, and genders as well. So there's still quite a bit that we are learning."
Olivero said the condition usually matures two to eight weeks after a child contracts the coronavirus. Jamison experienced no symptoms of COVID-19, yet he developed MIS-C symptoms in the span of a couple of weeks.
Jamison is being cared for at Helen Devos Children's Hospital. Unfortunately, doctors have told the family that his case is the worst they've seen thus far.
"They say don’t question God, but I don’t understand, why my son?" Jamison's mother, Brittney Autman said. "I wouldn’t want it to happen to anyone else’s child, but why me?"
Despite their efforts, doctors have not been able to restore feeling or movement in his legs, which have swollen due to a build-up of fluid from the condition. With the boy not yet out of grade school, the decision to amputate his legs was difficult for the family but they are hopeful that he can one day walk again with prosthetic limbs.
"It was really hard. I just think about like, once it’s done, what will his life be afterward? He likes to play soccer, and he likes to do things. And it’s just hard," said Autman, who is optimistic her son will one day walk again with prosthetics.
In order to offset medical bills, the family has set up a GoFundMe for those who would like to donate.
State COVID-19 cases are on the rise among children, according to Fox 17. Detroit doctors were doubtful in December about the recovery of a mother who went into a coma after prematurely giving birth to twins after contracting the virus, as Blavity previously reported.
Jasmine Logan, 31, was in a coma for more than two weeks with doctors fighting to save her life while her liver and kidneys failed. Her lungs were so badly damaged due to the virus that breathing put enough stress on her heart and lungs to cause heart failure and a host of other medical issues.
Doctors needed to put Logan on a last-resort treatment called ECMO and were able to save her life. The 31-year-old was able to join her babies at home in late December.
