Eleven-year-old Dezmond developed MIS-C after a COVID-19 infection. (CREDIT: WINK News) Eleven-year-old Dezmond likes video games and transformers and swimming like most kids his age. But unlike most children his age, everything changed in July. “Both of my kids tested positive for COVID,” said Precious Cochran. “They had minor symptoms. My son, all he had was like a fever of like 100. And so we quarantined for 14 days.” Cochran said she eventually sent her kids back to school but a week later Dezmond’s fever returned. Back to the ER they went where doctors told her his inflammatory markers were a little elevated. The doctors said there was nothing to worry about. “The next morning, he wakes up, he goes to the bathroom, and he’s hunched over, he’s walking really slow,” Cochran said. The fever spiked to 104, prompting another trip to the emergency department. Dezmond was sent back home again. Cochran took him to get a second opinion and again he was sent back home. Her son just kept getting sicker and his lab work kept getting worse, until doctors finally admitted to the hospital. “I said, look, I’m like, this is my son, my only son. And I was like, I’m no doctor, and I’m no nurse. I was like, but I can tell that the numbers are not OK,” Cochran said. She asked the doctor if it could be multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C, a rare condition in kids in which different body parts can become inflamed. It occurs most often after COVID-19 even if it’s a mild case. Symptoms are bloodshot eyes, fever, severe stomach pains, skin rash and even slower breathing. After countless nights, they finally got their first answer. “So they did the echocardiogram, and then they came back and said that his heart was beating really slow. And they were going to transfer him to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Fort Lauderdale,” Cochran said. The situation was scary, Cochran said. “You go to the doctor, you listen to the doctor, you expect them to know everything, but in some cases, they don’t, you know, and it’s not their fault,” Cochran said. “If you feel uncomfortable if you know something’s not right, like, stick to your guns and get answers.” Because of Dezmond’s diagnosis, he is unable to do the things most children enjoy like taking a swim or riding his bike. He has signed up to be part of a MIS-C research project that will hopefully help doctors and children like him. MORE: For more information on MIS-C, visit the CDC’s website.