JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville mom is urging parents to pay attention to their children’s health after she said her daughter was diagnosed with a serious, rare condition associated with COVID-19.
“It was a very scary situation,” said Lilly Witherspoon, a mother.
Witherspoon told News4Jax that her 9-year-old daughter Issabella started showing symptoms of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome, or MIS-C, last month. She said she stopped eating, started sleeping a lot and then developed a rash that spread all over her body.
“It went from her legs and her stomach to her wrist. Then it went from her wrist, to her face, to her arms, to her back,” said Witherspoon.
Witherspoon said she took Issabella to the hospital where she was admitted and later ended up in an intensive care unit because of her blood pressure.
“It did everything to my heart that it would do for every parent, but I had to keep that smile, I had to keep that faith and I had to let her know they’re doing this because it’s going to help you,” explained Witherspoon.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s unclear what causes MIS-C, but many kids diagnosed with it had the virus that causes COVID-19 or were around someone who had it.
Witherspoon said she herself was diagnosed with COVID-19 in July and spent several days in the hospital. She said her daughter tested negative when she was taken to the hospital but had the antibodies.
She’s encouraging parents to follow the CDC guidelines and pay attention to their children’s health and behavior.
“Don’t just think oh school has started, oh they’re tired from school," said Witherspoon. “Watch their sleeping patterns, watch their eating. Don’t think that it’s just them getting back into their routine. Watch them very closely.”
According to the CDC, symptoms of MIS-C include abdominal pain, fever, rash, neck pain, vomiting, diarrhea, feeling extra tired and bloodshot eyes.