Home HEALTH 5-year-old Sudbury girl diagnosed with EEE leaves hospital – Boston.com

5-year-old Sudbury girl diagnosed with EEE leaves hospital – Boston.com

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5-year-old Sudbury girl diagnosed with EEE leaves hospital – Boston.com

A month after a mosquito bite sent 5-year-old Sophia Garabedian rushing to the hospital, she has finally returned home to Sudbury, her family says.
Sophia, among the dozen people in Massachusetts diagnosed with the rare Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus this year, left Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital on Friday, Oct. 4, her family wrote in a letter posted on a GoFundMe campaign created to support her medical bills.
“Over the past month we have experienced one of the most difficult challenges of our lives,” the letter says. “However, at the same time we have also felt the incredible love and support for Sophia and our family as we have gone through it. Today we are so happy and thankful to share that through the timely and world class care at Boston Children’s Hospital and then Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital we have reached a major milestone that we had hoped for; to bring Sophia home.”
EEE, which spreads through infected mosquitos, is a potentially fatal virus that carries symptoms such as brain swelling, fever, and coma.
The virus has killed three people in Massachusetts this year as the state battles its first outbreak since 2012.
Sophia entered Boston Children’s Hospital on Sept. 3 while experiencing a high fever and brain swelling before she was diagnosed with EEE three days later.
Over the past month, she has regained her appetite, ability to speak, and mobility, according to updates posted on the GoFundMe campaign page.
The fundraising effort, intended to help the Garabedian family cover out-of-pocket medical expenses, has garnered over $190,000.
Sophia entered Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital on Sept. 20. She is slated to undergo outpatient therapy five days a week now that she is home, according to the campaign page.
“Sophia has been so courageous through this entire ordeal and made enormous progress from those terrifying first hours and days to waking up, breathing on her own, first words and steps and now at a point where she can go home,” her family wrote in the letter posted Friday. “While this is an important milestone we are thrilled to celebrate, she still has a long road ahead of care on an outpatient basis to keep improving her mobility and continue to work to recover her cognitive functions such as long-term memory. We have no doubt she will continue to amaze us.”
In the letter, the Garabedian family also expressed its gratitude for those who prayed, shared their thoughts in messages, and donated to the fundraising campaign.
The family asked for space and privacy as Sophia continues to recover.
“Sophia’s spirit and love have always brought joy to our family,” the letter says. “Through the support of the community, skill of her caregivers and strength of her spirit we still have our precious daughter and a bright future to look forward to together.”
Read the full letter:
Over the past month we have experienced one of the most difficult challenges of our lives. However, at the same time we have also felt the incredible love and support for Sophia and our family as we have gone through it. Today we are so happy and thankful to share that through the timely and world class care at Boston Children’s Hospital and then Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital we have reached a major milestone that we had hoped for; to bring Sophia home.
Sophia has been so courageous through this entire ordeal and made enormous progress from those terrifying first hours and days to waking up, breathing on her own, first words and steps and now at a point where she can go home. While this is an important milestone we are thrilled to celebrate, she still has a long road ahead of care on an outpatient basis to keep improving her mobility and continue to work to recover her cognitive functions such as long-term memory. We have no doubt she will continue to amaze us.
There are no words that can adequately describe the depth of our family’s gratitude to those who have donated to support Sophia or shared their prayers and heartfelt thoughts through cards and messages. Every positive thought has helped us to get to this day and will get us through as we continue to work on her recovery.
At this time, we just look forward to bringing Sophia home and beginning to return to as normal lives as possible. Her story and recovery is still ongoing and our focus is there and will continue be so. Respectfully, we do ask for space and privacy while we settle back to our lives over the next few months.
Sophia’s spirit and love have always brought joy to our family. Through the support of the community, skill of her caregivers and strength of her spirit we still have our precious daughter and a bright future to look forward to together.
With gratitude,
The Garabedian Family
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