By KOMU Staff | December 30, 2020 at 1:36 AM EST – Updated December 30 at 1:36 AM
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KOMU) – A 3-year-old boy from Missouri is recovering at home after doctors say he experienced a stroke shortly after testing positive for COVID-19.
Sara Parris took her 3-year-old son Colt to the emergency room Dec. 15 because he wasn’t able to hold down any fluids. He ended up testing positive for COVID-19, and the next morning, she noticed he wasn’t speaking normally.
“I just figured he’s in so much pain and he’s so tired because he’s not resting that he just doesn’t have the energy to talk,” Parris said.
But then, she noticed he wasn’t grabbing his stuffed animal the way he normally would. Instead of taking it with his right hand, she says he “reached completely over his body with his left arm.”
It turned out Colt had a stroke that cut off blood supply to the left side of his brain, keeping him from moving his right arm and leg.
Dr. Camilo Gomez, a neurologist at the hospital, says doctors were looking into the link between the virus and neurological issues.
“The COVID diagnosis is important because we think that the reason these patients with COVID, including this child, have strokes and a variety of other problems is that they have a propensity to form clots,” Gomez said.
Gomez says his team rarely performs acute stroke interventions on children, but it’s not unheard of. He says helping Colt to recover was the highlight of his week.
“The ability to give that family the child that is neurologically improved by the time Christmas rolls around, I thought it was prime for us. They just were walking on sunshine,” he said.
Colt’s mom hopes his experience leads to more awareness about the complications of COVID-19, especially ones that can occur in young children.
“It can be a lot more serious than just the flu. Children will get it, can get it. You might not have any symptoms, like we did. We didn’t have a clue that he even had it,” Parris said.
Colt is now out of the hospital but still experiencing some issues moving his right arm and leg. His mom says if a stranger saw him, they might not know anything had happened, but as his mom, she knows, he’s still not totally himself.
The 3-year-old is expected to fully recover after physical therapy.
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