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 hospitalization.
Yazzie tells KOAT in April that Stella was playing in bed when she ran towards her mother complaining of back pain; from there he said the young woman “limped” in his arms.
Yazzie directed Stella to San Juan Regional Medical Center, where she was quickly transferred to UNMH.
Doctors diagnosed Stella with COVID-19 and soon after diagnosed her with acute transverse myelitis, Yazzie said.
The disease is classified as an acute inflammation of gray and white matter in one or more adjacent spinal cord segments.
Doctors told Yazzie that this was the first COVID-related case they had seen at UNM in a child.
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Dr. Barry Ramo explains to KOAT that COVID-19 is known to cause a hyperimmune response in children that could be the culprit for Stella’s spinal cord inflammation.
According to Johns Hopkins Medical Center, one-third of people with transverse myelitis have complete or near-complete recovery, with most symptoms gone. Another third have a fair recovery, retaining some of their symptoms.
Stella spent five months at UNM in the pediatric ICU, and from there she spent three more months in Carrie Tingley Hospital.
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’m very grateful to the UNM staff, the doctors, the bosses, the nurses. They’ve done so much for Stella. We thank them all,” Yazzie told KOAT.
She continued to talk about her daughter’s love for those who cared for her.
“All the people there, he tells them he loves them, he checks the staff, when they arrived, he asked‘ are you okay? “He tells all his friends,” he said.
While Stella was in the hospital, Yazzie says the girl’s father died due to COVID-19.
“I miss my dad,” Stella told KOAT.
Stella told KOAT that she wanted to ask others to stay home, be safe, and wear the mask.
Yazzie told KOAT, doctors told her it was unlikely Stella would 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 take COVID lightly, because it affects my daughter to a great extent,” Yazzie said.
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