BELLFLOWER, Calif. — February 2021 was a dark time for 10-year-old Bellflower resident, Micah Meza, who found himself in a Los Angeles hospital fighting for his life after being diagnosed with Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C.
“It was crazy, but I only remember getting there and two days before we left,” said Micah.
What You Need To Know
- More than 100 children in LA County have been diagnosed with MIS-C, over 70% of them are Latino
- There have been over 2,600 cases of MIS-C in the US according to the CDC, 66% of the cases are in Latino children
- MIS-C causes swelling and inflammation that can lead to organ failure
- Kids tend to develop MIS-C a few weeks after contracting Covid-19
It all started a few weeks after the whole family contracted COVID-19. While everyone got better, Micah took a turn for the worse. His mom, Cynthia Amezcua Meza, said his fever spiked.
"February 2, that night he went up to 104," said Cynthia. "That morning I gave him medication and ice packs. We ended up taking him to urgent care."
Doctors tried to treat him, but his condition only worsened.
“[He had a] fever, he got bigger rash, bigger hives. He got more swollen, and that is when they rushed him up to the ICU. When he went to the ICU we were like ok, this is serious,” said Cynthia.
Micah's body became swollen. His back broke out in painful red sores. There was blood in his urine, and by the second day in ICU, he could not move. His family prayed he would live to the see another day.
“You can’t sleep good knowing that your child is sick, knowing that you can’t help your child, knowing that you’re staring at a child that can’t even move, that can’t even eat, who is on machines, breathing machines, so it was really hard seeing him like that,” said Cynthia.
More than 100 children in Los Angeles County have been diagnosed with MIS-C, with over 70% of them being Latino.
The trend is nationwide. There have been over 2,600 cases of MIS-C in the U.S. According to the CDC, 66% of the cases are in Latino children.
Although a lot is not understood about this syndrome, what is known is that kids develop it a few weeks after contracting COVID-19. It causes swelling and inflammation that can lead to organ failure and even death.
“We know that Micah is a walking miracle,” said Cynthia.
Now they are taking it day-by-day. Meza’s father, Chad Meza, said they are thankful for every moment together.
“I mean, just sitting down just appreciating him and his life and just so thankful that he’s alive,” said Chad.
The fanily agrees that the love of God and family got them through it.