Iowa 4-Year-Old Suffering from Blindness and Brain Damage Caused by the Flu

4-year-old Iowa resident Jade DeLucia has suffered debilitating side effects from the flu after becoming ill around Christmas.

WHO-TV in Iowa City reports that Jade spent two weeks in the ICU at the University of Iowa's Stead Family Children's Hospital after her parents found her unresponsive on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Day, the family received the devastating news that the flu had affected Jade's brain and she remained unresponsive. Luckily, the child woke up on New Year's Day, but has suffered severe after-effects from the flu.

“It affected the part of her brain that perceives sight, and we don’t know if she’s going to get her vision back,” said Czech, Jade’s neurologist. “In about three to six months from now we’ll know. Whatever recovery she has at six months, that’s likely all she’s going to get.”

Happily, Jade returned home with her family on January 9, but her future remains uncertain. The neuro added that Jade may also suffer from cognitive or developmental problems in the future, such as learning disabilities.