A mother has shared a stark warning after a ‘Thanksgiving kiss’ caused her two-year-old daughter to end up in the ICU battling a severe viral infection.
With Thanksgiving approaching, 30-year-old Destiny Smith feels compelled to advise against kissing other people’s children this holiday season.
Last year, around Thanksgiving, Destiny’s daughter, who was then two years old, began showing cold-like symptoms. However, Destiny realized the severity of the situation when her daughter’s breathing became labored.
Upon visiting the hospital, Destiny received the alarming news that her daughter, now three, had contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory infection. Her condition quickly deteriorated, necessitating an emergency airlift to the ICU.
Destiny, from Lake County, Florida, recounted: “She was showing signs of a cold, but we knew something was different about this cold.
“She was breathing really weird, so we took her to the hospital and throughout the night, she got really, really bad.
“After two days, they life-flighted her to the PICU, they were giving her breathing treatments every two hours, her oxygen levels kept going down and down.”
The young girl battled for her life over eight days but fortunately made a full recovery.
On her first night in the hospital, Destiny’s daughter’s condition worsened significantly. Destiny and her partner stayed close to her side during those critical two days as her situation deteriorated.
After two days, the child was transferred to the pediatric ICU, where she remained for five more days.
“One minute she’d be ok, and the next she wouldn’t, it was very, very scary”, Destiny said.
“The doctors weren’t sure whether it would take a turn for the worse, or if it would get better, it was just horrible.”
The situation became so dire that Destiny began contemplating funeral arrangements for her daughter, but thankfully, her condition improved, allowing her to recover.
Destiny, a mother of four, noted that friends and family had been hugging and kissing her daughter before she contracted RSV. Although she cannot confirm the exact cause, her perspective on allowing others to touch her child has significantly shifted.
“I always tell people to be careful with letting people who aren’t in their immediate family hug and kiss them, because their kid could be next”, she said.
“I think this is something really important to raise awareness of.
“I just want other parents to know how quickly it can get serious. Please trust your gut and get them checked if something feels off.”