11-Year-old Girl Battles Long COVID, Still Needs Feeding Tube a Year After Hospitalization

long COVID Tillie Adams feeding tube COVID-19 normal childhood U.K. Post Covid Infection Syndrome totally different child covid-19 symptoms U.S. University College London Sammie McFarland Long Covid Kids COVID treatments Dr. Christina Brown Kaiser Permanente Children's National Pediatric

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Feb 02, 06:19 pm

Photo: (Photo : INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)

Tillie Adams, 11 years old, hasn't been the same since she had COVID-19 in January 2021. One year after her hospitalization, the girl is still battling long COVID and has been too weak to eat food, go to school, or move about to enjoy a normal childhood.

Adams is one of an estimated 20,000 people from the U.K. struggling with long COVID, also known as Post Covid Infection Syndrome. Doctors have her on a feeding tube since her weight has dropped to worrying levels as she still cannot eat properly due to her illness.

Speaking in an exclusive with The Mirror, Adams said she sometimes feels angry because she's missing a lot in school. Aside from feeling "tired and so washed out," the 11-year-old also experiences fainting spells and problems with her legs. Thus, she has been confined to a wheelchair.

A Different Child

Before contracting the virus, mom Kelly said that her daughter was a very energetic girl who loved playing outdoors. Long covid has turned her into "a totally different child," and she seems to grow weaker as she loses more weight.

Adams was diagnosed with COVID-19 after she had a fever, experienced aches, and pains in her body, and lost her sense of taste and smell. She got better two weeks after her hospitalization, but issues like headaches and stomach pains affected her ability to function until her condition worsened.

In the U.K., about 200 kids below the age of 11, who have been struggling with long COVID, are helping experts at the University College London understand the condition in children. The experts are baffled as to why Adam's condition has not improved after a year.

Sammie McFarland, who founded the Long Covid Kids charity, said that more families are signing up for support for long COVID. Many of them have issues like Adams and require feeding tubes for their nourishment. McFarland hopes for more awareness campaigns and family doctors specializing in long COVID treatments.

Long COVID in Kids in the U.S.

Doctors in the U.S. echo the same observations as their U.K. counterparts. Pediatrician Dr. Christina Brown of Kaiser Permanente said that they see more cases of former active kids who can't even go up the stairs after their COVID-19 infection. Many of the children have not been vaccinated because they are not yet eligible or their parents are holding off on the jabs.

At the Children's National Pediatric in Washington, D.C., kids with long COVID complain of headaches, stomach aches, dizziness, chest pains, shortness of breath, palpitation, loss of sense of smell or taste, and foot rash. The clinic is also doing studies to address how to best help young patients.

According to the experts, about one-third of U.S. kids who contracted the virus developed long COVID symptoms. Brown said that many parents haven't returned for follow-up check-ups because cases at healthcare facilities are still high.