A SEVEN-year-old boy cycled 14 miles across the Woodhead Pass to say ‘thank you’ to the doctors and nurses who cared for him after a rare Covid-related diagnosis.
Louie Tyson, from Barnsley, was admitted to the emergency department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in February last year with suspected appendicitis and subsequently underwent blood tests and a scan.
Louie was diagnosed with paediatric inflammatory multi-system syndrome (PIMS), which causes inflammation throughout the body. It is thought to be because of the immune system’s delayed reaction to a Covid-19 infection.
His mum Joanne said: “Louie was suffering from a high fever and stomach cramps.
“I noticed that his eyes looked sore, and the whites of his eyes had gone grey, so we took him to see our out-of-hours GP.”
His appendix was fine, but he had widespread inflammation in his abdomen.
Joanne added: “It was exactly a month since he had Covid-19, and he was asymptomatic throughout that time.
“It didn’t even cross our minds that it would be linked.
“From the doctors and nurses to the cleaning staff, play specialists, catering staff and even the ladies in Costa who kept me supplied with toasties, you name it, they helped us so much during our stay.”
After being diagnosed, Louie underwent immunoglobulin treatment and antibiotics, as well as steroids and blood thinners to stop his heart from swelling.
Doctors knew how to treat conditions similar to PIMS, but as this was a relatively new condition, it was scary for everyone involved, Joanne said.
He is now fully recovered, after staying in the hospital for nine days, and is grateful for those people treated him while he was there.
Louie and his mum cycled the 14-mile Woodhead Pass for The Children’s Hospital Charity, raising £330.
He said: “I would like to say thank you to the staff because I nearly died and they all looked after me so well.
“When I was in hospital, I liked doing my homework and playing on the XBox and I was given toys to play with.”
Sarah Maltby, a member of the PIMS team at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, added: “It is important to realise that while children with PIMS like Louie can become extremely unwell, the vast majority of children respond well to treatment and make a full recovery.
“On behalf of everyone at the hospital, thank you Louie - we are really pleased to hear he is so well.”
