Aubrey's Story
Aubrey's case was rare in that it came on so hard and fast and because of this she was able to be diagnosed and begin her first IVIG treatment in less than 48 hours from onset of symptoms which is almost unheard of. She started with fever and other symptoms began popping up quickly. I called her Pediatrician's office who said she to wait until the fever persisted for at least 3 days before bringing her in, but her fever got so high that she was delirious and did not know who I, as her mother, was so I packed her in the car and headed in any way. The doctor we saw only spent about 15 minutes with us when he excused himself from the room. When he returned he said there were a couple things it could be, but the most concerning to him was KD. He had already called and scheduled us an appointment with a Cardiologist and from there we were immediately admitted the the Children's Hospital. They had an Infectious Disease doctor come in the rule other things out and he took one look at her and knew it was KD.
She began her first IVIG that night. She responded well and we were beginning the process of being discharged 36-48 hours later when her fever began quickly climbing again. Ultimately she was treated with 2 IVIG and 5 high dose IV steroids during our 2 week stay inpatient and was then discharged on tapering steroids and aspirin. During the acute phase she suffered pericardial effusion and a murmur was found post, but thankfully she did not suffer any coronary involvement. Since this experience we have made it our mission to raise awareness. Aubrey has worked as a AHA Go Red for Women Ambassador, been the top individual fundraiser at our local Heart Run for 3 years running, and won a $1500 college scholarship after being selected as an Alaska Communications Youth Hero for her work raising awareness. She has also had a proclamation signed recognizing Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day in our community.
Misdiagnosis?
We were lucky in that she was never misdiagnosed. She was treated with 2 IVIG and 4 high dose IV steroids.
Current Conditions
While she does not suffer from any coronary involvement, she has since been diagnosed with several other conditions including Asthma, Joint Hypermobility Syndrome, Juvenile Inflammatory Arthritis, and a rare Systematic Autoinflammatory Disease called TNF-Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome. She gets immunosuppressant injections every 4 weeks and has been doing extremely well. She does not let anything slow her down though. She is the top scorer on her competitive soccer team, set a new record for the 4th grade girls 1 1/2 mile district cross country race, runs track, is an active member of her school's student council, and is an amazing student.