Frankie Jr. Muretic

Frankie Jr. Muretic lives in Mississauga in Ontario, Canada. One morning he woke up with a rash, causing his parents concern. They brought the five-year-old boy to the doctor, who said that his symptoms looked like scarlet fever. He was prescribed antibiotics and then sent home.

His family was told that the antibiotics should kick in within 48 hours. However, after 2 days, Frankie only seemed to be getting worse. He couldn’t walk and was resisting all liquids, screaming in pain due to inflammation in his mouth.

It became clear that Frankie did not have scarlet fever. The antibiotics weren’t working. Something else was going on. He was brought to the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) on day 4 of his symptoms. Finally, he was diagnosed with a rare condition caused Kawasaki Disease and he began to receive the proper treatment. 

Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease can be an incredibly serious condition. When it is not caught early, it can lead to aneurysms, which can be fatal. The condition causes the blood vessels to become inflamed, impacting the mouth, lymph nodes, and skin. Symptoms include body rash, tongue inflammation, sore throat, bloodshot eyes, and a fever which lasts longer than 5 days. Frankie had all of these.

Most commonly, if affects young children who are under the age of 5.

Thankfully, if the children are treated soon enough, they normally recover well.

SickKids

Frankie’s parents speak incredibly highly of their experience at SickKids. Frankie stayed there for 10 days receiving treatment.

But not only did he receive the life-saving treatment he needed, he was provided loving care that made his stay more bearable. The hospital staff brought him crayons so that he could color and a ps4 to keep him entertained. They even gave him a gift that he could give his little sister on her birthday, which fell while he was still admitted.

Grateful for the care their son received, Frankie’s parents wanted to give back to the hospital. They made the decision that after his discharge, they would begin raising money for other kids and families going through the same thing.

The family has now raised more than 2,000 dollars for SickKids. Not only are the funds influential to the hospital, but the fundraising campaign has brought awareness to this rare condition.

Frankie was incredibly lucky and his family hopes that their story will help others learn the warning signs of this condition so that they too, can receive the care they need as soon as they need it.

You can read more about Frankie’s story here.