Community Corner
Boy, 7, Fighting For Life Against Coronavirus-Linked Infection
Brandon Vargas has suffered major organ damage after contracting multisystem inflammatory syndrome, Mayor Richard Irvin said.
AURORA, IL — A 7-year-old Aurora elementary school student is “in the fight for his life” after contracting an inflammatory condition linked to the coronavirus, Mayor Richard Irvin said Thursday.
Brandon Vargas, a student at Allen Elementary, was recently hospitalized and diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a condition that can cause inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin and other organs.
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A GoFundMe campaign created earlier this week has raised nearly $12,000 as of Thursday afternoon. Irvin urged Aurora residents to pray for Brandon and his family and to contribute to the campaign if they are able. He also used Brandon’s story to implore residents to wear a mask amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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“I don’t wear a face covering or mask because I have to or because some government official is forcing me to,” Irvin said Thursday during a briefing at City Hall. “I wear a mask because I want to and it’s the right thing to do. I want to wear a mask to protect my family and friends. I want to wear a mask to protect the community that I love and to ensure others like little Brandon don't end up in the hospital or worse.”
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“Let Brandon be further inspiration for all of us to do the right thing and what is necessary to stop the resurgence of COVID-19 in Aurora,” Irvin said.
At least six children in the Chicago area were suspected in May to have suffered from multisystem inflammatory syndrome. More than 60 children in New York were also suspected to have the condition.
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