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KOAT spoke with 4-year-old Stella Martin and her mother, Cassandra Yazzie, a day after Stella was finally released from hospital after an 8-month long hospital stay.
Yazzie tells KOAT in April that Stella was playing on the bed when she ran over to her mother complaining of back pain, from there she says the young girl “went limp” in her arms.
Yazzie drove Stella to the San Juan Regional Medical Center, where she was quickly airlifted to UNMH.
Doctors diagnosed Stella with COVID-19 and shortly thereafter acute transverse myelitis was diagnosed, Yazzie said.
The disease is classified as an acute inflammation of the gray and white matter in one or more adjacent segments of the spinal cord.
Doctors told Yazzie this was the first COVID-related case they had seen at UNM in a child.
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Dr Barry Ramo tells KOAT that COVID-19 is known to cause a hyper immune response in children, which could be responsible for the inflammation of Stella’s spinal cord.
According to the John Hopkins Medical Center, a third of people with transverse myelitis have a full or near full recovery, with most of their symptoms going away. Another third recover fairly well, retaining some of their symptoms.
Stella spent five months at UNM in pediatric intensive care, then at Carrie Tingley Hospital for another three months.
On Monday, after spending eight months away from home, Stella was able to return home.
UNMH staff applauded the girl as she left the hospital.
“I am very grateful to the staff at UNM, the doctors, the chefs, the nurses. They have done a lot for Stella. We thank them all,” Yazzie told KOAT.
She went on to talk about her daughter’s love for those who took care of her.
“Every person there, she tells them she loves them, she checks the staff, when they come in she asks ‘are you okay?’ she calls them all her friends, ”she said.
While Stella was in the hospital, Yazzie says the girl’s father died from COVID-19.
“I miss my dad,” Stella told KOAT.
Stella told KOAT that she wanted to ask others to stay home, stay safe, and wear your mask.
Yazzie told KOAT medics told her Stella was unlikely to recover, but adds that her mobility has already improved and the girl was able to move her arms a bit.
“I just want everyone to stay safe, not to take COVID lightly because it is affecting my daughter in a big way,” Yazzie said.
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