Madilyn Dayton of Wyoming nearly died after doctors discovered she had MIS-C.
Madilyn, who is 12 years old, had noticed she was getting unexplained rashes, headaches, and loss of appetite. Then on Oct. 28, 2020, she woke up and discovered she couldn’t move any part of her body and called for her mother, Marilyn.
“I knew she had been dehydrated so I thought if we go get her some fluids, they’ll figure out what’s wrong with her and we’ll be home in a couple of days,” said Marilyn. “I never had any idea about what was about to happen and how serious and fast this started threatening her life.”
Madilyn’s COVID-19 test came back negative, but doctors soon discovered she had antibodies, which means she was likely infected weeks before but was asymptomatic. No one else in her family had shown any signs of infection.
“I thought I was taking precautions, I thought I was doing the best I could to protect my family,” said Marilyn. “And that's what was hard for me as a mother. But that’s why we wanted to share our story, to help everyone realize we can all take better precautions and take this pandemic more seriously.”
Marilyn — like many others — didn’t think children could experience any negative impact from COVID-19.
“I thought it was only specific categories that are truly at high risk,” she said. “I had no idea that kids can be affected so severely.”
Madilyn first experienced a headache and body aches. A few days later she struggled to walk and had no appetite.
“I started getting rashes all over my body, and that’s when I know this wasn’t a normal sickness,” said Madilyn. “Then one morning I woke up and I couldn’t move at all.”
Madilyn says she remembers her mom taking her to Primary Children’s Hospital, and then waking up in the intensive care unit.
After spending six days in the hospital, Madilyn was able to go home but couldn’t return to school. Her doctors said she can’t play sports or other do other strenuous activity for three to six months to prevent potential permanent scarring of the heart.
“Seeing my daughter deteriorate so quickly was scary,” said Marilyn. “It made me realize that we need to be better, we need to be more careful, and we need to care what our actions are doing to others. We don’t know if we are asymptomatic and passing on this illness to others who are high-risk. We just need to care, and we need to be better, no matter what.”