11-Year-Old Quadruple Amputee Due To COVID-Linked Disease Keeps 'Uplifting Spirit' And 'Smile'

An 11-year-old boy in Michigan has kept his "uplifting spirit" even after going through a quadruple amputation due to a COVID-19-linked disease.

Shortly after contracting COVID-19, Dae'Shun Jamison was hospitalized in December 2020 and diagnosed with a rare syndrome that required doctors to amputate both his hands and feet, MLive reported. The child underwent five months of medical treatment before he was finally allowed to go home.

Despite having lost his arms and legs, Jamison's fun and joyful spirit remain very much alive -- something that has given his mother strength throughout the process.

"He's still got that smile on his face through it all," MLive quoted Brittney Autman, Jamison's mother, as saying.

“He’s just got an uplifting spirit about it all,” she added. “Even when I was emotional and down, he still had that smile on his face and was letting me know that everything was going to be OK.”

The 11-year-old was diagnosed with MIS-C or multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition is linked to the coronavirus and causes a child's organs to become inflamed. The condition is known to affect the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs or even the brain.

Jamison spent Christmas, his birthday and the remainder of the school year in the hospital. After his final surgery in February, the boy was fitted for prosthetics and began therapy.

Doctors at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital admired Jamison's resilience and said the boy worked very hard in learning how to use prosthetics.

“During that time, he worked very hard. He did everything the therapist asked him to do, never complained, never rolled his eyes, never tried to get out of anything,” said Dr. Doug Henry, a rehabilitation physician at Mary Free Bed.

The doctor also recalled Jamison's "beautiful smile." He added that it can be a challenge for patients to learn how to use prosthetics, but children tend to have an easier time mastering the skill.

With the help of his doctors and his sheer determination to keep his positive outlook in life, Jamison has started to walk again. The young boy is now able to use prosthetics for both his arms as well.

When May came, Jamison already knew how to get dressed and brush his teeth even without the use of his prosthetics, according to Henry.

“He was just ready to do whatever he could to get better,” the doctor said.

After leaving the hospital, Jamison still has to go to multiple outpatient therapy appointments, but he will be able to join his classmates in fifth grade in the fall. His mother said they are “still taking it day by day.”