A 7-year-old boy from Cape Cod who nearly died from a COVID-19-related ailment walked out of Franciscan Children’s hospital in Boston Thursday to a bubble parade from doctors, nurses, and staff who cared for him.
Isaiah Celin of South Yarmouth spent 42 days at Franciscan Children’s and Boston Children’s Hospital where he was treated for MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
The rare and potentially deadly illness involves persistent fever and extreme inflammation following exposure to COVID-19, according to a statement from Franciscan Children’s.
Isaiah became increasingly sick after being sent home from school on Jan. 11 for a what appeared to be a stomach bug, the hospital said. He was admitted to Cape Cod Hospital for testing, where his fever worsened, and he was transferred to Boston Children’s Hospital.
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His mother, Marie Celin, said her son almost died in the ambulance when his blood pressure dropped suddenly and he went into heart failure, the statement said.
Isaiah had tested negative for COVID-10 several times after he was exposed to another person who had the virus in December. But his doctors were able to confirm through blood tests that he had antibodies to the virus.
“It is believed that he had COVID-19 but never presented symptoms and his current diagnoses are a result of it,” the statement said.
Along with MIS-C, doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital also diagnosed Celin with macrophage activation syndrome and rhabdomyolysis, the statement said.
He spent 17 days in the intensive care unit at Boston Children’s, before being transferred to Franciscan Children’s hospital for rehabilitation services, the statement said.
On Thursday, Isaiah’s long hospitalization came to an end when he walked out of Franciscan Children’s with his parents at his side.
Madison Mercado can be reached at madison.mercado@globe.com.