8 Year Old Rabies Victim Speaks to News Channel 3
News Channel 3 News Director/ Anchor Betsy Lambert had the opportunity to speak to the Willow Creek resident who has rabies. 8 year old Precious was taken to a Sacramento hospital the end of April and is just now able to talk:
(Betsy Lambert)"hi precious, how are you doing"
(Precious)"good"
ONE WORD… BUT A WORD THAT IS GIVING SO MANY SO MUCH HOPE… JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO THIS LITTLE GIRL PRECIOUS STARTED THE FIGHT OF HER LIFE… AND HER FAMILY AND DOCTORS didn’t EVEN KNOW IF SHE WOULD LIVE…
PRECIOUS WAS INFECTED WITH RABIES…
(Shirly, Precious’ Grandmother) “she said she felt sick to her stomach so i told her to go to the bathroom, and when she got up her legs just went out from under her."
HER GRANDMOTHER SHIRLY, WHO HAS CUSTODY OF PRECIOUS HAS BEEN BY HER SIDE SINCE THE BEGINNING… SHE TOLD US OVER THE PHONE FROM A HOSPITAL ROOM SHE HAD TAKEN HER GRAND DAUGHTER TO THE DOCTOR A COUPLE OF TIMES IN WILLOW CREEK… DOCTORS SAID SHE JUST HAD THE FLU… SO SHIRLY SAYS SHE DID EVERYTHING SHE COULD TO GET PRECIOUS FEELING BETTER… BUT SHE KNEW IN HER GUT SOMETHING ELSE WAS GOING ON.
(Shirly) "pretty soon she was so weak she couldn't cough, she tried to cough but couldn't cough anything up, every time she'd drink water she would start to cough, and by 10 o'clock, she couldn't stand up, she couldn't move her arms or her legs, and by that time i said, 'this is no damn flu.”
SHIRLY RUSHED PRECIOUS TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT MAD RIVER HOSPITAL… AND SHORTLY AFTER A MEDICAL TEAM HAD THIS LITTLE GIRL AND HER GRANDMOTHER ON A PRIVATE JET… RUSHING THEM TO U.C. DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER AND SOON AFTER THAT SHIRLY WAS TOLD PRECIOUS HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO RABIES.
(Betsy)"did she have any bite marks or anything like that? "
(Shirly)“ i guess a few weeks ago she was scratched by a feral cat."
AND THAT CONTACT ALMOST ENDED PRECIOUS’ LIFE… BUT THE FAMILY SAYS THEY NEVER LOST HOPE AND NEVER GAVE UP.
(Shirly)"we have a medicine man who lives in ???? city, bless his heart and he made her a medicine bag and as soon as we put it around her neck she started getting better."
TO DOCTORS AND FAMILIES AMAZMENT, PRECIOUS MADE A TURN AROUND… AND WHEN WE TALKED TO HER SHE WAS DOING SOMETHING NO ONE THOUGHT WOULD BE ABLE TO HAPPEN FOR A LONG TIME TO COME.
(Betsy) "did you just get done playing"
(Precious)"yeah"
NOT ONLY IS SHE PLAYING… SHE HAS JUST STARTED TO STAND UP, DOING SOME WALKING AND ABLE TO TALK… A LEAST A LITTLE.
(Betsy)"do you miss your friends"
(Precious)"yeah."
BUT MORE THEN ANYTHING, 8 YEAR OLD PRECIOUS HAS BEAT THE ODDS AND SHES ALIVE… PROVING THIS LITTLE FIGHTER IS MORE REMARKABLE THAN ANYONE COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED.
(Shirly)"I have heard that she's the 7th in the world to survive this, and the fourth to survive in this protocol."
(Betsy)"wow, that amazing"
(Shirly)"yeah it's a miracle."
