OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A six-year-old Oklahoma girl is now recovering after a brief scare with an illness caused by COVID-19.
“That’s the worst thing is just watching her know that you can’t do anything for her or help her in any way,” said Rili Brittain.
Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome, or MIS-C, is what Braylee Maloney’s mom, Rili Brittain, told KFOR put her daughter in the hospital for almost two weeks.
Braylee was placed on a ventilator for about three days after being diagnosed with the illness most common in children.
“We see this sometimes with other conditions and other infections. Bacterial infections or viral infections can cause this,” said Dr. Melinda Cail with Primary Health Partners.
Dr. Cail told KFOR the illness usually comes after children contracted COVID-19. Brittain said Braylee had the virus weeks before she was diagnosed with MIS-C. She took Braylee to the hospital after noticing Braylee was acting sluggish and tired and even complained about her head hurting. Before she was admitted to the hospital for MIS-C, Brittain was told by doctors Braylee had strep. She was prescribed antibiotics. She told KFOR once Braylee was admitted for MIS-C, she reached a 107-degree fever.
“I didn’t even know I had to be strong for her because she can’t see me cry or she cries,” said Brittain.
Brittain said she caught Braylee’s case early and believed if she had ignored her behavior, things could’ve been much worse.
Dr. Cail told News 4 the syndrome is an inflammatory reaction in the body about four weeks after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The initial symptoms often include fever, rashes, red eyes, diarrhea and vomiting, and it may worsen over a few days. The inflammation can affect the heart, blood vessels and other organs.
Brittain told KFOR a fever, fatigue and a headache were the only symptoms Braylee was experiencing before she was taken to the hospital.
“I would say kudos to Mom for knowing when your child is not acting like they normally would. Kudos to Mom for seeking medical treatment when she did. She saved her life,” said Dr. Cail.
Brittain credits OU doctors at Children’s Hospital for saving Braylee’s life.
“The doctors we had were amazing,” said Brittain. “Even when I didn’t want to do what they had suggested, like putting her on the ventilator, they knew that that was the right thing at that time.”
Braylee has since been released from the hospital. Brittain told KFOR she is doing much better but continues to take medicine.