Maeson back home in South Lake Tahoe; Family thanks community for overwhelming support

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It has been a wild two weeks for the Howard family, ever since ten-year-old Maeson entered the UC Davis Children’s Hospital with what appeared to be a COVID-19-releated multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), or Kawasaki disease.

Maeson Howard is on the road to recovery and back in his Christmas Valley home with his parents and sister.

"To think that he went from multiple organ inflammation and infection, collapsed lungs, swollen heart, and a fever that spiked to 104.8," said dad Corley. "It was so surreal to be told nine days later, 'you can take him home'."

Since becoming ill the last week of July, the Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School student pushed the edge several times of being critical and in need of a ventilator or being admitted to the ICU.

Corley said Maeson's team of doctors are still not sure how he didn't go into shock with inflammation numbers twenty times normal.

Home doesn't mean all is smooth sailing right away for Maeson. He has to have continued lab work and multiple follow up visits with his team of doctors including two infectious disease specialists.

While Maeson never tested positive for COVID-19, MIS-C can show symptoms several weeks after possible exposure. Corley said UC Davis Children’s Hospital went to great lengths and used some cutting edge medical technology not typically used in pediatrics, and yet still the doctors still have some real concerning questions.

"We may never truly know the why, the where, and the how," Corley said of his son getting sick. "With just under 600 cases of MIS-C nationally, there is just not that much data for such a rare form of this disease."

Maeson’s condition, labs, tests, scans, and images will contribute to the ongoing national study of the fairly new and rare disease.

"It's important for parents to read up on some of these rare forms of the virus that is attacking children. Symptoms may not show for several weeks after potential exposure. Parents should go to the CDC website and look up “Post COVID MIS-C”. With national cases in children rising over 190 percent, we are likely to hear many more stories like ours. We were fortunate that we acted quickly and took seriously what may otherwise be perceived initially as a little headache and fever," said Corley.

The Howard family wants to give those who reached out to them a "very big thank you." People gave their love, support, prayers, donations, food and more.

"We have no doubt that all that love and support from this community and beyond gave him the strength to fight his way thru a very dark and painful experience. We can only hope that other families will never have to go through what we did and that Maeson’s story can help others be smarter and safer," added Corley.

The Go Fund Me account set up for Maeson and the family has raised almost $33,000 to date, and can be found here - https://www.gofundme.com/f/misc-maeson-howard?