'I thought my son wouldn't make it': Singaporean families with kids who fought severe Covid-19 complications share their stories

No parent wishes to see their child in pain.

For two Singaporean couples, they had to endure the whirlwind of emotions that came with seeing their young sons battle severe Covid-19 related complications.

The two boys, Muhammad Ali Zafir Mohamed Azmi and Lucas*, were diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) – a complication that affects kids after Covid-19 infection or after exposure to the virus that causes Covid-19. MIS-C affects children's body parts such as their heart, lungs, kidney, brain and eyes, causing them to be inflamed.

"Mummy, tell them to stop"

Lucas was among the first few in Singapore to be diagnosed with MIS-C.

In October 2021, the young boy suffered a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius and rashes on his hands and feet, leading doctors to suggest he had either Kawasaki disease or hand, foot and mouth disease – two diseases that are common among the younger ones.

"Four days later [from the first day of high fever], he started to not want to eat or drink," Lenia Teo, his mother, shared.

This wasn’t normal given that Lucas is "a very, very active boy".

Lenia and her husband, Vincent Fan, then brought Lucas to the hospital and were shocked when doctors revealed their son had previously been infected with the coronavirus and was suffering from complications post Covid-19 infection. Unfortunately for the family, what Lucas had to deal with following that was even more worrying with the doctors diagnosing him with MIS-C.

"His vital signs were plummeting quite badly, his blood pressure was very low and his heart [rate] was very high. They had to send him to the ICU (intensive care unit)," Lenia said.

In the ICU, she recalled Lucas wailing out "mummy, where are you?" and "mummy, tell them to stop" as tubes were inserted into his body.

Vincent felt helpless in this situation and was distressed seeing Lucas hooked up to multiple medical devices. 

Simple actions like stepping on the floor had Lucas crying out in pain. Though his condition eventually stabilised and he was discharged after seven days in ICU, his recovery was anything but smooth sailing.

After being bed-bound for a week in hospital, it took Lucas another fortnight at home to be able to walk again. Lenia and Vincent have become more cognizant of when their son complains of pain.

"We have to be very careful to watch out for signs and symptoms as he gets rashes quite easily now. He’s very easily inflamed, in that sense, and the doctor explained to us that his immunity went into overdrive," Lenia said.

Seeing his three-year-old suffer Covid-19 related complications first-hand, Vincent is clear on where he stands with regard to child vaccination. 

"If there's a vaccination for his age group, it will reduce the symptoms to something more manageable [and] not swinging to this kind of extreme limits," Vincent said.

His wife agreed and felt that leaving a young child unvaccinated is "really not worth" the risk. 

"That chance of losing him [during] that weekend. That was really very disheartening," she said.

Baby steps to recovery

Similar to Lucas, Ali’s run-in with MIS-C occurred in late 2021.

The four-year-old had contracted Covid-19 in September 2021 and recovered. Three weeks later, he was running a high fever and began vomiting.

That was the cue for Marilyn Corpuz Cacanindin and Mohamed Azmi Lendang – his parents – to bring him to the hospital.
 
Ali’s condition deteriorated at such a rapid pace that he was transferred from a general ward to a high dependency ward and the ICU, all within a day.

Doctors diagnosed Ali with MIS-C and he too had to be intubated. On top of that, Ali was given 12 different medications and placed on a ventilator for seven days.

"It’s emotional, as a parent, to see him go through all that suffering," Azmi shared.

At times, witnessing Ali in such a feeble state had Marilyn imagining the worst.

"I thought my son wouldn’t make it," she said.

While Ali is no longer in hospital, he is still on daily medication – in the form of injections. Marilyn administers these injections and her son's fear of needles only makes the process tougher. The couple realises Ali’s journey to recovery will be slow, if feedback from professionals is anything to go by.

"Doctors keep on telling us that he is still fragile. He can’t have a fall, be too stressed or have a wound," Marilyn said.

The 39-year-old was also keen to touch on the topic of child vaccination and advised other parents with young children.

"For parents, I encourage them to have their children vaccinated to protect the children from any possible sickness they can get and to protect others as well."

While Azmi agreed, he understands that navigating conflicting information on child vaccination can be arduous.

Thus, his solution is clear cut and simple: "For me, it is better that we go to the government websites or statements. They will have facts that we can rely on [and] we can trust."

Read up and reach out to medical professionals

There is a host of misconceptions about how Covid-19 vaccination can affect children. This ranges from the vaccine affecting development to causing fertility issues and even cancer.

Consultant at KK Women's and Children's Hospital Dr Kam Kai-Qian quashed these claims stating: "All these are unfounded and there is no evidence to suggest so."

She was keen to drive home the point that children should be vaccinated as they are not immune to Covid-19.

"Any child who is at least five years old will be eligible for the vaccines. If parents are uncertain whether their child is eligible for the vaccines, they can check the MOH website or even ask their doctors with regards to their [child’s] suitability." Dr Kam added.

The side effects that children can experience after vaccination are similar to those of adults – fever, tiredness, soreness around the injection site. 

Dr Kam advised parents to monitor their child’s response to the second jab as side effects are more likely to kick in. Fortunately, the majority of these side effects are minor and they resolve spontaneously.

The vaccine is effective in reducing the chances of a child contracting Covid-19 and thereby, reducing the complications that can occur with Covid-19 infection including MIS-C. 

Ali and Lucas have had terrifying episodes with MIS-C but thankfully, both boys are doing much better now.

With children aged five and above now eligible for vaccination, consider bringing your little ones for the jab to keep them safe and healthy, even as we transition to living with Covid-19.

*Name has been changed to maintain confidentiality. 

ALSO READ: 10 paediatric Covid-19 vaccination centres to close, 2 to remain in operation

This article is brought to you in partnership with Ministry of Health.

amierul@asiaone.com

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