12-year-old girl on ventilator in MUSC’s intensive care unit for COVID-19

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COLLETON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – A 12-year-old Walterboro child is currently on a ventilator at MUSC’s Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in downtown Charleston to fight COVID-19.

Amari Goodwin’s mother, Misty, said her daughter’s symptoms progressed rapidly in early August. The child could not breathe, had a fever of 104 degrees, and was vomiting.

When Misty took her daughter to emergency care, she was diagnosed with COVID-19, pneumonia and RSV.

“Once she started coughing up blood in her phlegm, I was like no, that was enough,” she said. “That’s when we got to the hospital.

Watching her daughter struggle day and night since August 5 to battle the virus has been a living nightmare for Misty. She said Amari was admitted to the MUSC ICU on August 11.

“You’re right there watching her,” she said. “There is nothing you can do to fix it. And then I try to balance all my children. No one can come and see her. It’s just me, her and the machines.

MUSC’s Dr Elizabeth Mack said there were more patients like Amari coming through the doors. On Wednesday, she said MUSC had had a total of 180 people under the age of 21 hospitalized with COVID since the start of the pandemic.

“[That] has been split equally for 2020 and 2021, ”she said. “However, 20% of our 2021 numbers were in August and we’re not done with August. So if that gives you any indication of how quickly we’ve seen the rise in the last month. that every child hospitalized for COVID or MIS-C has not been vaccinated. ”

Misty said Amari is making slow progress. The doctors are weaning her off the sedation.

“She can open her eyes,” she said. “She will shake your hand.”

But, Misty said the road to recovery is long, and it is one that no child or family should have to face.

“If we don’t protect these children, no one will protect them,” she said. “If you can get the vaccine, I suggest you do. But you still have to wear your mask. It can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter young, old, what color, whatever. This virus doesn’t care. He’s going to hit whoever he can hit. This will continue, so we must all do our part. “

According to Misty, Amari had an appointment to get the COVID-19 shot in August but was unable to get the shot because she was already sick with COVID at that time.

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