Two Months After Close Call, Southold Girl Turns 8

Maya Reilly's eighth birthday was cause for celebration.

Just over two months earlier Maya, a Southold elementary school student, was fighting for life as she battled dangerously high fevers and a rare disease that initially left doctors baffled.

She was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease -- according to the Kawasaki Disease Foundation, the condition is characterized by inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.
 
Today, Maya's mom Dina said her daughter is doing well.

"It was like having her first birthday all over again. Three months ago, we were almost sure we weren't going to see her eighth birthday. People usually think birthdays are about presents – but we are celebrating her life," Reilly said.

Tests indicate that Maya's heart is "great," Reilly said. Her daughter will follow up with cardiologists and rheumatologists throughout her life. "She still has residual inflammation in her joints, and a lot of pain in her legs, ankles and feet," she said. "But I'm just happy she's back to being a normal kid. She's back to being Maya."

For her birthday, Maya got a new pet – a chinchilla named Mookie.

Now, Reilly is devoted to raising awareness of Kawasaki Disease.

Symptoms include a fever that lasts for five or more days, a rash, often worse in the groin area, red, bloodshot eyes, without drainage or crusting, bright red, swollen, and cracked lips and a “strawberry tongue,” which appears to have shiny bright red spots, swollen hands and feet, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

"That's my purpose," Reilly said. "I just want to help other parents save their kids."

As for the the Reilly family, Dina added, "We're just feeling very lucky."

For more information on Kawasaki Disease and its symptoms, click here.