(Photo From Family of Eva Harris on Facebook)
(ROCKY RIVER) - A 6-year-old girl from Rocky River has died from a rare complication after contracting the flu. Eva Marie Harris passed away Thursday night from a condition known as ADEM, or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.
The family issued a statement this morning:
"On Feb. 7, Eva was admitted to Cleveland Clinic Children’s with a fever of 105 degrees. After undergoing several tests, we learned that she had a viral infection and her body's immune response had also caused damage to her brain. As a result, Eva developed a severe form of a neurological disease called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), or acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood (ANEC). There are a variety of viruses that can trigger ADEM/ANEC; however, the disease does not appear to be caused by any single infectious agent and Eva's case is extremely rare.
While this is a very difficult time for our family, we are extremely grateful for Eva’s medical team, especially her nurses. We are thankful for all that was done for our daughter during her relatively brief time in the hospital.”
A fund has been created to help the family.