HORROR ORDEAL
We woke to Sophia’s nightmarish screams before she stopped breathing and suffered 20 seizures – we want to warn parents
Check the symptoms of the little-known brain condition that almost killed Sophia
A LITTLE girl almost died after a serious condition left her unable to open her eyes, talk, walk or even hear.
Sophie Mckie was so ill she couldn't recognise anyone - not even her twin sister.
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The night she was rushed to hospital, her parents Holly and Paul were told she might not survive.
But after weeks of treatment, the three-year-old defied the odds and started to recover.
Two years on, she has been going "from strength to strength".
Her parents are now speaking out about the ordeal in the hope to warn other families.
Read more on encephalitis
SHOCK DIAGNOSIS
Sophia had recently been unwell with Covid and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) when she suddenly deteriorated.
On the night of December 3, 2021, her parents woke up to her daughter screaming.
Moments later she suffered a seizure and was unable to speak.
The little girl was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, where her condition worsened - and went on to suffer 20 more seizures within 24 hours.
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After being admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), Sophia was put on a ventilator as she couldn't breathe on her own.
Tests soon revealed the little girl was suffering from encephalitis – the inflammation of the brain - which doctors said was likely triggered by one of the two bugs she had caught.
The uncommon but serious condition can lead to brain damage and long-term problems, including memory loss, swallowing issues, and personality changes.
"The doctors told us the condition was life-threatening and that Sophia may not even survive the night," Holly told the .
A 'SEVERE' CASE
In the days that followed, while doctors desperately tried to keep Sophia alive, the little girl suffered brain damage as a result of the vicious illness.
When she was taken off the ventilator, the true extent of the damage caused was laid bare.
Sophia could not open her eyes, hear, talk, walk or free herself, her parents said.
She was also unable to recognise anyone, including her twin sister, Alyssa.
Specialists were called in to help as Sophia’s case was considered "so severe", her dad recalled.
The little girl was in Sheffield Children’s Hospital for three weeks before being transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where her intensive rehabilitation began.
After two weeks, Sophia was up on her feet again, and her sight and hearing gradually began to return.
It would be another few days before she started to speak, babbling at first as if she was learning to speak for the first time.
'PASSIONATE ABOUT RAISING AWARENESS'
Now, in the wake of their daughter's ordeal, the family are sharing an important warning.
They want to raise awareness of the dangers of encephalitis.
“[Sophia] is now five, a true survivor who goes from strength to strength.
"I’m now passionate about raising awareness of her condition," Holly said.
Encephalitis is caused by an infection invading the brain, such as the herpes simplex virus or measles, or by the immune system attacking the brain.
In a third of cases, the cause is unknown, said.
Symptoms can include an altered level of consciousness, personality or behavioural change, fever and a new persistent headache.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
However, according to a new survey commissioned by the charity, eight in 10 (82 per cent) of A&E doctors and nurses in the UK are unable to recognise autoimmune encephalitis.
Professor Tom Solomon, chair of Neurology at the University of Liverpool, recently warned Sun Health that hundreds of children could die of the brain swelling disease linked to measles unless more kids are vaccinated.
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Symptoms of encephalitis all parents need to know
ENCEPHALITIS usually starts off with flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature and headache.
More serious symptoms come on over hours, days or weeks, including:
- Confusion or disorientation
- Seizures or fits
- Changes in personality and behaviour (is the person acting like themselves?)
- Difficulty speaking
- Weakness or loss of movement in some parts of the body
- Loss of consciousness
Dial 999 for an ambulance immediately if you or someone else has these serious symptoms.
Source: NHS
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