Charlotte Figi, the young Colorado Springs girl whose battle with Dravet syndrome inspired changes to medical marijuana laws, has died after suffering an illness her family suspects was the new coronavirus. She was 13 years old.
In a statement provided to The Denver Post, Charlotte’s mother, Paige Figi, said the whole family got sick in early March, but because their symptoms did not all fit within the criteria for COVID-19, they were told to self-treat at home. Charlotte was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit on Friday after her symptoms worsened and was treated on the floor specifically designated for COVID-19 patients.
Charlotte was tested for the novel coronavirus that day, but the results were negative, Figi said. She was discharged form the hospital on Sunday when her symptoms seemed to improve.
On Tuesday, however, Charlotte suffered a seizure that resulted in respiratory failure and cardiac arrest, Figi said.
“Given our family’s month-long history with illness and despite the negative test results, she was treated as a likely COVID-19 case,” Figi said in the statement. “Her fighting spirit held out as long as it could and she eventually passed in our arms peacefully.”
