A 15-month-old girl who has been in Edmonton and Calgary hospitals for nearly two months with an uncommon mix of viruses – is getting better.
Ainsley was hospitalized in November after contracting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as well as rhinovirus and an adenovirus.
She was transported from Calgary to the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton because she needed to be placed on an ECMO machine and ventilator.
On Dec. 3, her mom said she accidentally became detached from the machine, causing a lack of oxygen to her brain.
“They did CPR for an hour,” Ami Pineault told CTV News Edmonton earlier this month.
“They don’t know what kind of brain damage is there because they have to keep her on… so much [medication].”
An Edmonton doctor said even during a spike in respiratory viruses affecting children in Alberta, Ainsley’s case is unusual.
“Three viruses at once is fairly uncommon, that’s not something that we see often,” Dr. Tehseen Ladha, pediatrician and professor at the University of Alberta, said on Dec. 10.
“It’s exceedingly rare to end up on ECMO with any of these three viruses alone.”
Ainsley is now back in her hometown of Calgary where she's continuing to recover at the Alberta Children's Hospital.
"I'm ecstatic. I'm very happy to have her getting better," Pineault said Friday.
"There's really no sign of brain damage. She knows who we are, she's laughing, she's doing great. Just the only thing she's on now is the feeding tube and that's until her throat gets used to swallowing and stuff."
Pineault said Ainsley no longer has the viruses and she's expected to be home next week.
She thanked all of the doctors and nurses who helped her daughter as well as members of the public who reached out with encouragement and support through the family's GoFundMe.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb
