Avella, who has been at the hospital since March, can no longer see, speak or move her arms or legs. She now has to be fed through a tube. Doctors also had to remove the front of her skull due to brain swelling.
The pandemic has been destructive, to say the least, and now, an eight-year-old girl from Minnesota is paralyzed after developing a rare autoimmune disorder that her doctors believe was triggered by COVID-19.
Avella Bauer was a talkative, athletic child who was "extremely healthy," and she "never even as much as threw up," her mom, Lani Bauer, told NBC News. It all began in March 2021, when Avella developed a headache and a mild fever. Lani, worried about her daughter's health, decided to not send her to school for a few days.
But, once she went back to school, Lani got a call from a teacher who was concerned about Avella's behavior. "I got a phone call from her after school care saying I had to come to get her because she wasn't herself and she was sleeping in one of their little rooms," Lani said.
"Avella Bauer, 8, has been suffering from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) after testing positive for Covid-19 in March."
— Michelle (@Michelle_WXYZ) September 17, 2021
Covid likely led to a rare disorder that left 8-year-old girl paralyzed https://t.co/LkRgNlTMkn via @nbcnews
One morning, Lani did everything she could to get Avella to wake up, but in vain. The worried mom rushed her to the hospital where she had a fever-induced seizure. "It was terrifying, absolutely terrifying," Lani told FOX9 KMSP
After that scary incident, came more terrifying news. Avella was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM, a rare condition where the body's immune system attacks itself, leading to swelling in the brain and spinal cord. The disease is said to be triggered by a virus, and the only one Avella tested positive for was COVID-19.
"We certainly have every reason to believe COVID was the triggering virus here," Avella's pediatrician, Dr. Michael Pitt of Masonic Children's Hospital, said. "There's a few reasons I can say that fairly confidently. One — ADEM is triggered by viruses and COVID is a virus. Two, we're seeing case reports all over the world of ADEM where the only virus is COVID."
"It's a heartbreaking story, something rare, likely forever changing a family's life," he added.
We're learning more about COVID everyday and this story is rare.
— Spocky #FederalICAC. (@Spockarama) August 21, 2021
6 months ago, Avella Bauer from Minnesota was an active 8 y.o., then began losing her ability to see, speak and move due to Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) from COVID https://t.co/cxo1VG7N7l
Avella, who has been at the hospital since March, can no longer see, speak or move her arms or legs. She now has to be fed through a tube. Doctors also had to remove the front part of her skull due to brain swelling.
With time, Avella has shown signs of improvement, and her doctors believe she may have regained some vision, but it is likely that she will have disabilities for the rest of her life.
Lani is now urging people to get vaccinated and wear masks to prevent anything like this from happening to other kids. "If getting the shot and wearing your mask is one step closer to preventing this to happen to another child, that's what I want to stress, and I want to stress to make sure you wear your mask," she said.
Since treatment is expensive, the family has set up a GoFundMe to "provide support for any medical bills or any unforeseen costs that will be incurred during this time for Lani and her beautiful girl Avella."
References:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/covid-likely-led-rare-disorder-left-8-year-old-girl-n1279336
https://www.fox9.com/news/bloomington-girl-contacts-rare-debilitating-disease-after-covid-19
https://www.gofundme.com/f/avellas-emergency-fund-adem-recovery
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