SISSONVILLE, W.V. (NewsNation Now) — Meet 11-year-old Katarina Lowe. You can usually find her smiling, happy, and full of life. But that wasn’t the case two weeks ago.
On August 20, Katarina was diagnosed with MIS-C; or Multi-Inflammatory Syndrome in children. It’s a new syndrome in children and teens ages 2 to 15 that is associated with coronavirus. Victims can get it just being around someone with COVID-19, and while it’s still very rare, MIS-C can inflame a child’s heart, lungs, kidneys and brain.
“This is a very serious disease and it can be very emotional, and very hard to get through,” said Katarina.
Katarina’s father, Michl Lowe, said “I mean it got pretty bad, at one point our physician said ‘We’re a little worried’ and hearing a physician say that as a parent you’re thinking ‘Oh my goodness.’”
Katarina was the first and, so far, the only case of MIS-C in West Virginia. She spent two weeks in the hospital, with six of those days spent on a ventilator. Katarina’s father says there is still so much unknown about this disease.
“There were a lot of things that happened that we were like ‘Well, what does that mean?’ and they would say ‘We don’t know,’” Lowe said.
Katarina is now home and recovering with her family, and the Lowes are taking things one step at a time.
“This is something where you don’t have control. When it comes to diseases and you’re sitting in a hospital room, and as dad, you want to save the day, but you can’t. That’s not within your power,” said Michl.
And Katarina has a message for anyone else who may be going through the same thing.
“If the world can come together like they came together with me, and pray for these kids that might get it, then it’s something you can get through,” she said.
