6-Year-Old Boy's Suspected Stomach Virus Turns Deadly

Wash. boy dies after unknown virus began attacking his brain
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 31, 2016 8:36 AM CDT
6-Year-Old Boy's Suspected Stomach Virus Turns Deadly
Daniel, 6, had an unknown virus that appeared to be attacking his brain.   (Go Fund Me)

Mystery surrounds the death of a 6-year-old boy who landed at Seattle Children's Hospital two weeks ago, ostensibly with a stomachache, only to rapidly decline as the virus began attacking his brain. It all started on Oct. 15, when Daniel Ramirez was rushed to the hospital with what was thought to be a stomach virus. But his symptoms quickly escalated to drooling, slurred speech, pain in his leg, and incontinence, reports Q13 Fox, and the virus began attacking his brain, though doctors didn't know why. "I wish I could take his pain away," his mother Marijo De Guzman said, as the family raced to find answers. "If I could switch places with him right now, I would." Daniel's family announced Monday, via their Facebook page Praying for Daniel Ramirez, that Daniel died on Sunday.

Daniel's parents had hoped that specialists across the country might help their own team of neurologists who specialize in infectious disease pinpoint the root cause. "He was fine, and just like that, he’s fighting for his life," said his dad earlier. The Bellingham Herald reports that the family has posted on Facebook that their son had suffered two strokes between Oct. 21 and 27; he had been in a medically induced coma. In the meantime, their GoFundMe page has raised more than $5,000 of their $20,000 goal to help pay the bills. (Check out what caused a mysterious illness that claimed at least 18 lives in Nigeria.)

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