‘God answered our prayers’: 21-month-old Boston boy with meningococcal disease ready to leave hospital, mother says
"He will be home in time for Thanksgiving to spend with his family."
A 21-month-old Boston boy was slated to head home Tuesday after being hospitalized for six weeks while battling meningococcal disease, his mother said.
In a video update posted to a GoFundMe campaign page Monday, Kimberly Cook said her son, Lucas, would be discharged from Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown just in time for the holiday season.
Over the past two weeks, he’s been focused on regaining his walking, talking, and eating abilities, she said.
“I am so happy to report that because of all his hard work, he actually gets to go home tomorrow,” Cook said. “He will be home in time for Thanksgiving to spend with his family.”
Lucas was one of two local children diagnosed with the rare illness last month. Each attended Horizons for Homeless Children daycare centers, although it was not immediately clear if the two cases were connected, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.
Meningococcal disease is caused by a bacterial infection and spreads through saliva. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and an altered mental state.
The disease can take on different forms, “including infection of the blood and infection of the brain and spinal cord, known as meningitis,” according to the commission.
Between 10 and 15 cases are reported annually in Massachusetts.
Lucas’s condition has steadily improved over the past month as he’s bounced back from a medically induced coma.
Cook said Monday there’s still more Lucas needs to do. He is taking medication for his kidneys, but doctors have not found any brain damage caused by the disease.
In the video, Lucas can be seen being alert and active and walking around the hospital room.
“There’s an absolute lot that needs to happen, but he’s doing it and he’s doing it amazingly,” Cook said. “He’s actually talking more now than before he got sick.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=165&v=WwIdORFy3nY&feature=emb_logo
The GoFundMe campaign has raised over $2,700 for Cook and her family.
Cook, a mother of three, has said health insurance will cover Lucas’s medical bills and that the fundraiser will help the family with other related costs.
She expressed gratitude for all of the support they have received as well as for the staff of doctors and experts over the past several weeks.
Cook said, “God answered our prayers.”
“He is getting better, and he is going home to be with his brothers, and his dad, and the rest of his family,” she said. “And I thank God for that.”
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