Girl Fighting H1N1 Beats Odds, Recovering

A girl fighting the H1N1 virus is being called a "miracle child" after a long and brave fight with the virus.

Friday, October 23rd 2009, 10:12 pm

By: News 9


By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A girl fighting the H1N1 virus is being called a "miracle child" after a long and brave fight with the virus.

While LaTeasha Howard's mother, Carolyn Howard, is thankful for the doctors and the treatment her daughter has received, she said the power of prayer is the real reason her daughter is still alive.

It's been the same routine, day and night, for LaTeasha Howard and her family. The 8-year-old has been fighting the H1N1 virus for two months now. Her mom said she remembers the day the symptoms started.

"I took her to school that Friday morning and she was doing fine. She ran to school and she never runs to school," Carolyn said.

But by noon, LaTeasha started running a fever, and it wasn't long after that she went into a seizure. The next thing Carolyn knew, her daughter was fighting for her life.

"I took it hard because they told me my baby wasn't going to make it," Carolyn said.

LaTeasha is overweight and suffers from asthma, which are both H1N1 risk factors. As the days passed, LaTeasha's condition deteriorated and eventually doctors took her off life support.

Carolyn's baby girl was on the brink of death, but then something happened.

"My whole family prayed and they prayed," Carolyn said.

A slew of family and friends swarmed the hospital and looked to the high heavens for help. Carolyn now says her little girl is getting better thanks to the work of something bigger than doctors and medicine.

"By the prayers of the Lord, and everybody praying for her, she came through," Carolyn said.

LaTeasha is now on the road to recovery.

Numerous other children are fighting this flu across the country, but the Howards said it was their ability to stay strong and faithful that pulled them through one of the most trying times of their lives.

"I just wanna tell everybody that she's a miracle." Carolyn said.

And now LaTeasha is becoming an inspiration for so many other families who are praying for their child's fight with the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, LaTeasha's fight is far from over. She still has lung complications and is going to need a lot of physical therapy once she's released from Children's Hospital.

Ten-year old Tony Estlinbaum was recently released from the hospital following a month-long fight with the virus. Natesah Hart, another child, is still there. Her condition is not known.

More on News9.com:
-
Edmond 10-year-old Recovering from H1N1 Virus
- Edmond Boy Sickened By H1N1 On Road to Recovery
- 2 Oklahoma Kids Sickened by H1N1, Fight for Life

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