LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The mother of a first grader who looked death in the face and smiled is hoping to spread awareness about the common infection that changed their lives forever.
Doctors nationwide are seeing a rise in cases of invasive strep infections. The more severe form of strep is highly treatable, but can also quickly turn deadly.
What was supposed to be just another day of first grade, quickly turned into a matter of life and death for 7-year-old Gracelyn Arnett of Stanton, Kentucky.
Her mom, Debra Arnett, says she picked her up from school because she had a positive COVID test. Her first trip to a doctor in Winchester determined she also had strep and her condition was deteriorating.
"She was literally unresponsive," said Arnett. "She was like white as a sheet, dark under her eyes."
Arnett says it was just hours later they were rushing Gracelyn to Kentucky Children's Hospital. Her blood pressure dropped the entire way.
"They showed us a way to go in and I thought 'Lord just help us' because we didn't really know how sick she was, but we knew she was sick," said Arnett.
Gracelyn was immediately put on a ventilator. A spinal tap revealed she was suffering from bacterial meningitis caused by the same bacteria that caused the strep.
The next thing she knew, a doctor came in and told her they would have to drill a hole in her daughter's head and insert a permanent shunt to remove the fluid that had built up in her brain.
"I fell apart. I laid on the floor praying to God to help because that was my baby," said Arnett.
With Debra laid out in a prayer position, Gracelyn's doctors got to work treating a severe case of bacterial meningitis.
"I think it's a word that many people are familiar with, but they don't necessarily know what it means. What meningitis is, is an infection of the thin layer of fluid and tissue that surrounds the brain," explained Pediatric Hospitalist Dr. Taylor Kulik. "Regardless of what the cause is, it can make children very sick."
Kulik says common signs are fever, confusion, headaches, nausea, vomiting, sometimes severe seizures and coma .
"Gracie developed most of all of those symptoms," he said.
"We knew it was serious but not that serious," said Arnett. "He said 'I'm just gonna be plain with you,' he said many patients that are brought in with the same thing that she had doesn't survive through the night."
Gracelyn made it.
"The next day, I saw that she had a little bit of fuzz sticking up and I thought it was the cutest thing, so I took a picture," said Arnett.
She didn't realize until days later that that picture would be the very sign she needed.
"It was a shape of a cross just out of the blue. Right then, I knew my baby was gonna be okay," said Arnett.
Kulik says she made a speedy recovery thanks to doctors and the fast actions of her parents who noticed something was wrong.
"Once that procedure was done that shunt was placed, her symptoms got so much better she was more active, more energetic. She got a little sassy again, which mom told me is how she was before she came into the hospital," he said.
Gracelyn is walking again and preparing to leave the hospital to transition to inpatient therapy.
"I miss all my friends and my teacher," said Gracelyn.
In her mom's eyes, it's a miracle.
"With God, there's nothing too big," said Arnett.
They are grateful for friends, family, teachers and the entire hospital staff who brought cards, made posters, braided her hair and kept her in good spirits. Especially to the pastor and his wife who read her Dr. Seuss books every week.
Gracelyn gave Dr. Kulik a matching bracelet that tracks the movement of a shark in the ocean. He was wearing it when LEX 18 talked to him.
"She is somewhat of a local celebrity and so it is going to be an equally happy and sad day when eventually she is well enough to leave the hospital because, you know, we don't get to see her anymore. But that's kind of the name of the game, right? You get close with them, you know, you get bracelets from them, you learn each other's names, you make up handshakes and eventually they get healthy enough and have to go home from the hospital and it's beautiful," said Kulik.
Debra wants parents to use their story as a warning.
"If we hadn't got her here when we did, she would have died," she said.
She says the whole situation grew her and her family's faith.
Dr. Kulik says parents are the first line of defense because they are able to notice differences in their children. If you notice any of the symptoms, he advises you to trust your gut and act quickly.
The CDC says most people do recover from bacterial meningitis.
