The child was admitted to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego last Wednesday after waking up and “violently shaking” before falling to the ground. He suddenly developed the symptoms having previously tested positive for COVID in early February.

The child’s parents, Brielle and Devon, also contracted the disease last month but said their son, Kawhi, appeared to be asymptomatic.

After being admitted into hospital, medical staff determined Kawhi had pneumonia and MIS-C, a condition officially known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. It causes issues with body parts and organs including the brain, heart and lungs.

According to the child’s mother, Kawhi’s oxygen levels dropped significantly and he had a rash all over his body. The child suffered stomach pains and doctors warned his heart may have to be monitored for the remainder of his life.

Hoping to raise more awareness of the syndrome, Brielle told KGTV: “It’s hard dealing with watching your child struggle to survive. Telling him it’s going to be okay. He’s in pain… it’s the hardest thing having your child cry ‘Please mommy, help me.’”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a rise of MIS-C across the country but its cause has not been established.

Its site says: “Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.”

As of March 1, the health agency had recorded 2,617 cases across 48 states that meet the definition of MIS-C, with the syndrome linked to 33 deaths.

The CDC said “many questions remain” about why some children or adolescents get MIS-C after a brush with COVID and others do not appear to be affected, but most cases have been children and adolescents between the ages of 1 and 14 years.

In addition, 99 percent of the cases tested positive for the virus that causes COVID, and the rest were close to a person with the virus.

“MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have gotten better with medical care,” the agency said.

Kawhi’s mother told KGTV the child had endured a blood transfusion and multiple drugs and his heart problem seemed to have slightly improved this week.

A GoFundMe campaign had been launched to help the family raise money for medical expenses and care. It has raised $14,025, exceeding the original $5,000 target.

The description reads: “Unfortunately Brielle and her family have been recovering from Covid-19 and recently her 3-year-old son Kawhi has been admitted into ICU at Rady’s Children’s Hospital San Diego. Brielle has not left her son’s side for the past 3 days as his little body is fighting pneumonia and MIS-C (post covid complications).”