"It only takes a small deed to brighten someone else’s day."
Simi Valley resident Braden Michael Wilson shared these words in a 2019 speech at his eighth-grade promotion ceremony.
On Jan. 5, Braden lost his chance to brighten other's days. He died from complications associated with MIS-C, a rare multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children linked to COVID-19, at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, his family said. He was 15.
The Centers for Disease Control reported the United States had 23 deaths related to MIS-C as of late last year. The criteria to be considered a MIS-C death includes being under age 21 with fever, inflammation and severe illness involving multiple organs, and a positive COVID diagnosis or exposure to the virus in the past four weeks.