Houston family thankful after RSV recovery in 20-month-old twin boys

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As the delta COVID-19 variant quickly spreads, respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, is also on the rise in our region.

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The Texas Children's Hospital told ABC13 that it has seen more than 1,000 cases of RSV in the past three months, which is uncharacteristic for this time of year.

The Castillo family is one of the local families who had a close call with this virus earlier this month.

"He was normal. We were playing, doing our regular routine. It was bath time and then I noticed when we were putting him to sleep, he was being a little fussy, so I gave him some Tylenol. I thought maybe he was having body aches from growing pains," said Maggie Castillo.

Moments later, Castillo's 20-month-old son Christian had a seizure. He had another seizure in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. After being monitored, he was released from the hospital and later diagnosed with an ear infection. Castillo's motherly instincts told her something else was going on.

"I told my husband, I said 'Hey, something in my gut is telling me this is not right,' so that's when we took him to the medical center to the emergency room, and at that very moment, it was a four hour wait. All the parents there were experiencing the same symptoms that my son had," said Castillo.

Christian tested positive for RSV. After four days in the hospital, he was sent to the ICU and was also diagnosed with pneumonia. Castillo said these were some of the scariest moments as a mother.

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"I remember looking down at him saying 'God, you gave me two. Don't take one away. Everything we are doing in life just doesn't make sense if he's not going to be part of it. Please God, please'," said Castillo.

Christian and his twin brother, Oliver, who was also diagnosed with RSV, are healthy now. Oliver was able to be treated at home.

Castillo wants other parents to be aware that this virus is going around and encourages action once you see symptoms.

"Visit with their doctor and ask for that test," she said.

Castillo also said she is beyond thankful her boys are healthy again.

"I'm so glad to have my babies back. I am. It was a very scary moment. We got through it with God's grace," she said.

According to the CDC, typical symptoms for RSV include a runny nose, a decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever and wheezing.