The Michigan 5-year-old first had a headache, then strep throat and finally a rare condition associated with the aggressive virus, which left her on a ventilator for two weeks. On Sunday, her parents Ebbie and LaVondria Herbert told the Detroit News that with no progress in her condition, they made the tough decision to take her off the breathing machine.
“We decided to take her off the ventilator today because her improvement had stopped, the doctors told us that it was possible she was brain dead, and we basically just knew she wasn’t coming back to us,” said LaVondria, Skylar’s mother.
Skylar, the daughter of two first responders, is reportedly the first child to die from the disease in Michigan, according to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data obtained by the newspaper.
Detroit’s Beaumont Health issued a statement and condolences after the 5-year-old’s passing Sunday.
“The loss of a child, at any time, under any circumstances, is a tragedy. We are heartbroken that COVID-19 has taken the life of a child. We extend our deepest sympathy to Skylar’s family and all others who have lost a loved one to this virus.”
Skylar’s initial symptoms were minor
After the tearful night dealing with a fever and headache, LaVondria took her daughter to the pediatrician March 23. The doctor uncovered that Skylar had strep throat. When the crying continued despite the antibiotics, the Herberts opted for the emergency room.
They took her to Beaumont Royal Oak, and doctors tested her for COVID-19 and quickly got back positive results for the virus. The headache and fever were indicators of the virus. She was released after the tests, but the family returned within hours. This time it was because of Skylar’s dad, who was showing COVID-19 symptoms.
“I noticed my husband was coughing and having shortness of breath,” LaVondria said. “Me and Skylar waited in the car, but out of nowhere, Skylar began complaining about her head hurting again and then she just threw up.”
That led to the diminutive one having a seizure.
An unusual condition worsened the virus
Skylar would be admitted to the pediatric ICU of Royal Oak, where several tests were run while she was sedated. After the test, she was transferred back to the Royal Oak campus and admitted to the pediatric ICU for sedation and a series of tests, including a lumbar puncture. That’s when the family learned Skylar had meningoencephalitis, a rare complication of the coronavirus. The complication caused swelling of her brain tissue and a lesion on her frontal lobe.
“I would whisper in her ear and say, ‘Skylar, hold your leg up. Just think about it really hard and hold your leg up.’ And with my assistance, she did,” LaVondria said of her only child.
Unfortunately, despite the brief period of response, Skylar never awoke from her coma.
The Detroit family still doesn’t know how Skylar got the virus because she was at home for weeks and had no prior health conditions. Ebbie, who has been a Detroit firefighter for 18 years, experienced COVID-19 symptoms, but his test came back inconclusive.
LaVondria, who has been a Detroit police officer for 25 years, said she is heartbroken about the loss of her only child, and she’s adamant about keeping other parents from experiencing a similar tragedy.
“She was the type of girl that would just run up to you and jump in your arms and hug you,” LaVondria said. “It didn’t matter what she was doing, she would stop what she was doing and tell me she loved me like 20 times a day.”
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