4-year-old girl who went blind from the flu regains her vision, Iowa mother says

A 4-year-old girl who nearly died from the flu and lost her vision can see again, her mother says.

Jade DeLucia’s flu symptoms began with a “low-grade fever” but quickly escalated to the point she was unresponsive and needed to be hospitalized in late December, CBS News reported.

“She was just laying in her bed not moving,” Jade’s mother, Amanda Phillips, told CBS News at the time. “Her eyes were kind of up in her head and she wouldn’t wake up.”

In addition to the flu, doctors determined Jade was suffering from acute necrotizing encephalopathy, or ANE, a rare complication from the flu that can cause blindness, WebMD reported. The young girl was released from the hospital after several weeks, but she was still blind, according to the medical website.

Several weeks later, Jade seemed to regain her vision almost instantly, her mom told CNN. The family noticed Jade walking to the restroom without touching walls, then tested her by asking if she could find her uncle, CNN reported.

Dr. Theresa Czech, who first met Jade when the child was on life-support at the hospital, has tracked the 4-year-old’s recovery during checkups, KCRG reported.

“She’s such a bright, cheerful girl who’s full of love, and I’m really happy that she’s made a good recovery,” Czech told KCRG.

Doctors will continue to monitor Jade’s recovery during more appointments. For now, the family is glad to see Jade acting more like herself, KCRG reported.

“She was following people around, she was giving high fives, and it was awesome,” Phillips said. “It was so cool she was able to see again — it was the best thing.”