SINGAPORE – In early 2024, nine-year-old Matt Aeron Semodio is looking forward to a new school year and countdown to the release of a new Godzilla movie.
But since January 4 his life has been suspended, as he suffers from Covid-19, myocarditis – an inflammation of the central muscle – and a stroke that has weakened his left side.
He was taken to the children’s emergency room at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital on the evening of Jan. 4, after complaining of excessive fatigue.
As the night wore on, he was admitted to intensive care. His heart broke down and he had to be hooked up to a survival system known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which temporarily does the work of the heart and lungs.
His parents, Mr. Noel Semodio, 48, and Mrs. Desiree Reyes, 42, recall being told that the doctor worked for more than an hour to resuscitate their son.
Mrs. Reyes said, “We’ve been told that he may not be able to survive because of the long time they were searching to resuscitate him, but we haven’t given up hope. “
Matt was on ECMO until January 16 and spent time in the High Dependency Unit and General Division of the KKH before being released on February 8. You will need physical therapy and occupational treatment for the myocarditis and stroke you suffered.
He has been readmitted to the hospital twice since that first five-week stay.
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He was readmitted on February 11 for 3 days due to some other viral infection.
On February 22, he vomited blood and was hospitalized in KKH for the third time this year. Doctors suspect yet another viral infection, according to his parents.
Mr. Semodio says he’s going to jump now if Matt hiccups. “After everything that’s happened, nothing can be taken lightly. “
Lately, the family is crowdfunding to pay Matt’s (str. sg/BnNd) medical bills. They don’t know the total amount given the repeated hospitalizations, but Reyes says it will be a six-figure sum and that it’s unlikely that insurance and savings will be enough.
She is a permanent resident here, while Mr. Semodio has a work permit. They are both from the Philippines and work at the same IT company.
Matt and his three-year-old brother have dependent’s passes, which means Matt wouldn’t possibly qualify for subsidized fares.
The claim that the medical reports imply that Matt was suffering from Covid-19-induced myocarditis.
Associate Professor Mok Yee Hui, director and senior representative of the KKH’s Children’s Intensive Care Unit, says myocarditis can be due to viral or bacterial infections; parasitic infections; or autoimmune diseases that mistakenly cause the immune formula to attack central tissue.
Associate Professor Jonathan Choo, director and senior consultant at KKH’s Department of Cardiology, says that while Covid-19 can infect heart cells, causing inflammation and damage, “this is rare and most Covid-19 patients develop myocarditis. “. .
Matt’s parents don’t know how it’s possible for their son to have Covid-19. Reyes tested Matt and herself before returning to Singapore on Jan. 4 after a vacation in the Philippines.
However, Matt tested positive for Covid-19 while hospitalized. He had never been inflamed before, even though his parents had Covid-19.
Matt gets vaccinated against Covid-19 because his parents were concerned that vaccination could lead to myocarditis. “The opposite happened,” Reyes said.
In October 2023, The Straits Times reported that the Department of Health said the occurrence of vaccine-related myocarditis remained uncommon, with reported rates of one per 100,000 doses (0. 001%) for monovalent vaccines and 0. 4 per 100,000 doses (0. 0004). . consistent with the percentage) for bivalent vaccines.
Professor Choo of KKH says that the treatment regimen after a myocarditis patient is discharged would include medications to optimize core function and reduce central inflammation and blood clots.
He adds that patients will want to gradually regain movement and avoid strenuous activities. “They get follow-up appointments with a cardiologist to monitor physical progress and physical progress, and treatment plans are adjusted accordingly. “
Despite repeated hospitalizations, Matt was in good spirits when The Straits Times approached him on Feb. 22.
This fourth-grader at a private school in Singapore was concentrating on watching Godzilla videos on a tablet. A fan of dinosaurs, he held his favorite stuffed dinosaur, Cyan, to facilitate its careful care.
“I love Godzilla because he has a blue atomic explosion. It’s also radioactive,” says Matt. He can’t wait to see the Hollywood movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Kingdom when it hits theaters in Singapore on March 28.
Semodio says Matt asked to go on vacation to Japan instead of the Philippines in December to see the Japanese movie Godzilla Minus One (2023), which was released in Japan but not in Singapore.
“Maybe if we had gone to Japan, this wouldn’t have happened,” Mr. Semodio said. “I can’t help but think about it. “
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