The day after celebrating her 2nd birthday with her family, Sienna Duffield’s mom Savina French-Bell noticed a strange rash on her daughter’s face. This was the start of a terrible time for the family.
It would take 8 months before doctors realized what was behind Sienna’s terrible rash.
“It started to look like someone had thrown acid over her face, it spread from her mouth to her cheeks, and above her eyes,” mother Savina said.
Sienna’s terrible rash
It was the beginning of a long nightmare as Sienna’s terrible rash did not disappear. Doctors didn’t know what to do and for 8 months, Sienna suffered. The condition deteriorated to the point that her face was covered in painful blisters which bled when they broke.
The Mom describes that it was like her daughter’s face was being eaten alive…
“Her clothes were constantly bloody and she had difficulty eating because of pain around her mouth” The Mom often resisted going out with her daughter due to the strangers’ stares and cruel comments.
Doctors first thought that Sienna’s rash was due to eczema or an allergy, but none of the drugs they prescribed had any effect. In the end, it went so far that Sienna was eventually hospitalized. She could no longer eat and the doctors had to keep her nourished through an IV.
Desperate to get to the bottom of this, Sienna’s mother carefully went through the events leading up to her daughter’s rash breaking out. It was only then, an entire 8 months after the first incident, that Savina recalled that a relative had given Sienna a kiss – and it turned out that the relative had herpes.
Sienna had been infected by herpes simplex virus type 1
Sienna had been infected by herpes simplex virus type 1 and at long last, doctors could provide the right treatment. Soon enough, her skin healed and she was able to eat again.
“For the past few months, Sienna’s face has looked amazing and the infection has not returned,” Savina said.
“There is always a chance of it coming back, but fingers crossed it won’t happen and her skin will stay as good as it is now. It’s great to be able to go outside and not get any horrible comments from anyone.”
Sienna’s Mom now wants to warn other parents not to let anyone kiss their children. Although it is sometimes not visible, anyone can carry herpes and small children can be very sensitive against it.