Exclusive: Long Island Father Talks About Young Son's Bout With Rare COVID-Related Disease MIS-C
NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island father has an urgent message for parents after his son came down with a rare but serious complication associated with coronavirus.
And doctors worry with a spike in COVID-19 cases, we could see more sick kids.
The family spoke exclusively with CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis on Thursday from Cohen Children's Medical Center.
MORE: Max Minute: New Studies Shed Light On Worrisome MIS-C Disease Impacting Children
Seven-year-old Anderson Pillco has been in a hospital bed since Christmas. His father, Carlos, hasn't left his side.
"I told him that I will be with him because I have to take him back home," Carlos said. "He's my heart, is just my heart, and I think every parent will feel the same way for the their children."
Which is why the Hicksville father is sharing his story, to help other parents look out for multi-system inflammatory syndrome -- MIS-C -- a condition which can cause inflammation in organs.
It landed Anderson in Cohen Children's Medical Center -- intubated for several days.
"Seeing him in the bed like that, it was tough. It was at one point that I felt that I was losing him," Carlos said.
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It all started with abdominal pain, vomiting and a fever, which Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Dr. James Schneider said are classic symptoms of MIS-C. Others include rash, bloodshot eyes and exhaustion.
"It's a condition that seems to be a reaction to a previous COVID-19 infection, that usually occurs about two to four weeks prior to the presentation of MIS-C," Schneider said.
Anderson's father said despite extreme caution, he and other family members contracted COVID-19 in November.
Anderson got MIS-C about a month later.
According to the latest Centers for Disease Control data from Dec. 4, there have been 1,288 cases nationwide and 23 deaths since it emerged in the spring.
"Now the fear is that, as we're expecting, you're seeing a huge spike of acute infections, both in kids and, of course, in adults we're well aware of. We're expecting to see more and more MIS-C," Schneider said.
Cases are slowly trickling into the hospital, like Anderson, who, after treatment, is breathing on his own.
"I feel good right now," Anderson said.
Schneider said while MIS-C is very dangerous, it is treatable, which is why it's important to seek medical care immediately. He is urging everyone to continue wearing masks and social distancing.
The CDC says cases have ranged in age from under 1 to 20 years old. The average age has been 8. Since June, several cases have been reported in adults, with similar symptoms.
CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis contributed to this report
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