While Avella Braun was a perfectly normal young girl living in the south Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington just six months ago, her whole life changed after she tested positive for the virus in early March.

Avella was diagnosed with a rare case of acute disseminated Encephalitis (ADEM), or inflammation of the brain, when the body’s immune system attacks itself, causing the spinal cord and brain to swell.

ADEM is caused by viral infections, with the only virus Avella testing positive for being coronavirus, according to local news network KMSP. .

8-year-old Avella Braun, pictured, tested positive for the virus in March 2021, and suffered only low fevers for the most part until her mom Lani discovered her unconscious one day.

ADEM is caused by viral infections, with the only virus Avella testing positive for being Coronavirus

The average age of children who contract ADEM from viral infections are between three and seven years old, with 35 percent of infected children being asymptomatic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

The average age of children who contract ADEM from viral infections are between three and seven-years old, with 35 percent of infected children being asymptomatic