Doctors Tell Mom Age 12 Daughter Has the 'Flu.' Girl Dies in Hospital Days Later
Alyssa Alcatraz, a 12-year-old girl, loved to sing. Like many of her middle school peers, she was vibrant and had a love of music and life.
These are the memories that Alyssa’s family cling to after her shocking and unexpected death. They find solace in the saved videos of her most recent school singing performance.
“Not a day went by that she wouldn’t sing her little heart out. Now she’s singing with the angels,” read her obituary.
The illness began when Alyssa came home from school feeling sick. Her sister Mariah believed that she had food poisoning or the flu.
“I remember she came home from school and she was throwing up and I thought oh she’s probably got food poisoning she’s going to be ok.”
As Alyssa’s illness grew worse, her mother raced her to the hospital. The doctors diagnosed the 12-year old Alyssa with the flu.
The diagnosis wasn’t too surprising. If you have children in school, you know how illnesses seem to go around.
After bed rest and a break from school, Alyssa’s symptoms did not improve. Her mother decided to take her to Urgent Care to be reevaluated.
Alyssa was rushed to the hospital from Urgent Care, where her organs began to shut down and she eventually died, leaving her family shocked.
Though Alyssa had flu-like symptoms, her illness was from a completely different source. The doctors discovered that there was a strep infection in her blood stream.
The misdiagnosis was a real blow to Alyssa’s family. No one even suspected that there was something more sinister going on within her body.
There is hope that their tragic story will help others become more diligent in seeking medical help. The strep infection was never diagnosed.
Her father has asked for prayers, posting that he was distressed: “I’m so torn right now, it’s killing me…I can’t even explain my pain to you guys. I miss my baby so so much…”
For now, the Alcaraz family holds on to their memories of a sweet, friendly girl who loved to sing.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family. Not only have they experienced a devastating loss, sending off a loved one off and providing a service for friends and family is costly.
They continue to watch a loving video on her cell phone, a message to her family relaying how much she loved them.
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