Back in August, 15-year-old Lucas Garcia of North Hollywood couldn't wait to get back to the classroom. But after a week, he suddenly became very sick.
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"Ten minutes before that, I was normal, and I was this close to exiting the door to get ready for school. And then the next minute, I'm already sick and puking," said Garcia.
A trip to his doctor confirmed Garcia had COVID-19.
"That kind of scared us, like, I was fully vaccinated, and not only did I catch COVID, but I'm also taking it really bad with the symptoms," Garcia said.
"Healthy, happy one day, and then, within a matter of three days, he needed 24-hour care," added his mom, Lisa Garcia.
The headaches, fatigue, and vision problems wouldn't stop.
"His ability to focus and concentrate, his cognitive abilities were impacted. I would say, pretty significantly that first month and a half or so," Lisa Garcia said.
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It was now October, and Garcia's parents couldn't find anyone who understood what he was dealing with, until they heard about Children's Hospital Los Angeles' Long Haul COVID-19 Clinic.
CHLA Infectious Disease expert, Dr. Sindhu Mohandas, is part of a team granted $8.3 million dollars by the National Institutes of Health to study the long-term effects of COVID-19 in young people.
"Understanding that long COVID exists in children has taken time," Mohandas said. "They're up to 50 symptoms that can be attributed to long COVID, but the most common symptoms that we see are really fatigue like debilitating fatigue, which interferes with quality of life."
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Every case presents differently, so for Garcia, Mohandas had to rule out every other cause, evaluate his symptoms, and create a customized plan.
"Changes in diet, changes in his sleep, hygiene, and changes in his rest patterns," Mohandas added.
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Shortly after meeting with different specialists, Garcia started to improve, and by November, he was back in school.
"Coming back for a second semester has been really great," Garcia said. "And my health has been doing so much better now."
The RECOVER study at CHLA, and other pediatric hospitals nationwide, aims to enroll 20,000 long COVID-19 patients under the age of 25.
You don't have to have severe illness to develop long COVID-19. Studies show that being vaccinated can reduce the risks of lingering symptoms. This is something Garcia's family is grateful for.
"The fact that he was vaccinated minimized the illness for him," Lisa Garcia said. "And the fact that my husband and I were vaccinated allowed us to take care of him."