Chillicothe girl with brain injury from flu complications returns home
NBC4 first reported on Locklynn Boler at the beginning of March. At just 4 years old, she fell into a coma for weeks due to severe complications from the flu. She has fortunately recovered from it, but will never be the same again due to the brain injury she suffered from the coma.
'You see all these kids dying from this, and somehow she made it,' said Bradley Boler, Locklynn's father.
That's because Locklynn was born a fighter.
'She's been through it since the day she was born,' Boler said. 'She had issues with her kidneys well before all of this.'
Boler said its been a constant battle since Locklynn woke up from her coma. Her brain injury has left her unable to walk, talk or eat on her own. Since then, she's been in and out of Nationwide Children's Hospital.
'She's on like 20 different meds,' Boler said. 'She takes a massive med pass at 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. She has to get vest treatments multiple times a day.'
The bills have been piling up for the Boler family. They're in the process of making their home wheelchair-accessible for Locklynn.
'The plan now is we wound up getting a van finally,' Boler said. 'We want to try to get one with a lift, as well as getting another ramp built on to the back porch.'
Locklynn now needs around-the-clock care. One of the Boler family's biggest struggles was finding a nurse, but their prayers have been answered.
'My sister quit her job to take care of Locklynn,' Boler said. 'We owe her the world.'
Boler said they're grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community.
Fundraisers for their family have brought in close to $11,000. All of that money is being put toward necessary modifications to make Locklynn as comfortable as possible as she adapts to her new normal. Local organizations like the Mid-Ohio Board for an Independent Living Environment (MOBILE) have also stepped up to provide resources.
'Value your time with your kids,' Boler said. 'I spent a lot of the last year working 70 to 80 hours a week. Spend more time with your kids. You never know. It could happen to anybody.'
While Locklynn will never be the little girl her family once knew, they said they love this new version of her just as much.
'She's amazing,' Boler said. 'That's all I can say. She's the strongest kid I've ever met in my life.'
The Boler family is still raising funds to be able to make the necessary modifications to their home for Locklynn. They're selling #LocklynnStrong t-shirts. You can purchase one here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Where the summer COVID-19 infections are hitting hardest
The number of people with COVID-19 in the U.S. is low but increasing, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Friday. COVID-19 is trending up in many Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southern, and West Coast states. The agency said infections are 'growing or likely growing' in 40 states, based on emergency department visit data as of July 29. Infections were unchanged in nine states. The weekly percentage of emergency department visits among people diagnosed with COVID-19 is low, but growing, CDC said. Visits were highest for children younger than 4 years old, which experts said makes sense because many remain unvaccinated. WastewaterSCAN, which monitors infectious diseases through municipal wastewater systems, categorized national coronavirus levels as 'high' and trending upward since mid-July. According to CDC, the wastewater viral activity level for coronavirus is currently low, and only Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, California, Alaska and Texas reported 'high' or 'very high' levels. Experts say a lack of data is making it harder to track COVID-19 in real time, but the available information indicates the expected seasonal wave is happening. Ever since 2020, COVID-19 has peaked twice a year. Cases rise in the winter and drop into the spring, and then again in the summer as travel peaks and people seek air-conditioned indoor spaces away from the heat. While other respiratory viruses remain at low levels until the winter, experts have said COVID-19's ability to mutate sets it apart and contributes to a much higher baseline infection rate. More cases circulating year-round means more opportunities for the virus to mutate. The vaccine being updated for the coming fall season is targeted to the JN.1 variant, as it was last year. But Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has significantly narrowed recommendations on who should get the vaccine, raising significant questions about the availability and affordability come the fall. In May, Kennedy said the shots would no longer be recommended for healthy kids, a decision that health experts have said lacks scientific basis. A coalition of medical groups subsequently sued over the move. In addition, a new policy requires all updated COVID-19 vaccines to undergo extensive placebo-controlled clinical trials, as if it were a new shot rather than an update to one that already exists. The updated Covid shots are expected to be available in the fall to adults 65 and up and kids and adults with at least one medical condition that puts them at risk for severe illness — the groups exempt from the clinical trial requirement.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Got the sniffles? Here's what to know about summer colds, COVID-19 and more
Summer heat, outdoor fun ... and cold and flu symptoms? The three may not go together in many people's minds: partly owing to common myths about germs and partly because many viruses really do have lower activity levels in the summer. But it is possible to get the sniffles — or worse — in the summer. Federal data released Friday, for example, shows COVID-19 is trending up in many parts of the country, with emergency department visits up among people of all ages. Here's what to know about summer viruses. How much are colds and flu circulating right now? The number of people seeking medical care for three key illnesses — COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — is currently low, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu is trending down and RSV was steady this week. But COVID-19 is trending up in many mid-Atlantic, southeast, Southern and West Coast states. The expectation is that COVID-19 will eventually settle into a winter seasonal pattern like other coronaviruses, but the past few years have brought a late summer surge, said Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at University of California Davis Children's Hospital. Other viruses circulating this time of year include the one that causes 'hand, foot and mouth' disease — which has symptoms similar to a cold, plus sores and rashes — and norovirus, sometimes called the stomach flu. Do viruses spread less in the summer? Many viruses circulate seasonally, picking up as the weather cools in the fall and winter. So it's true that fewer people get stuffy noses and coughs in the summer — but cold weather itself does not cause colds. It's not just about seasonality. The other factor is our behavior, experts say. Nice weather means people are opening windows and gathering outside where it's harder for germs to spread. But respiratory viruses are still around. When the weather gets too hot and everyone heads inside for the air conditioning, doctors say they start seeing more sickness. In places where it gets really hot for a long time, summer can be cold season in its own right. 'I grew up on the East Coast and everybody gets sick in the winter,' said Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency room doctor and Arizona State University researcher. 'A lot of people get sick in the summer here. Why is that? Because you spend more time indoors.' Should you get another COVID-19 booster now? For people who are otherwise healthy, timing is a key consideration to getting any vaccine. You want to get it a few weeks before that big trip or wedding, if that's the reason for getting boosted, doctors say. But, for most people, it may be worth waiting until the fall in anticipation of winter cases of COVID-19 really tick up. 'You want to be fully protected at the time that it's most important for you,' said Dr. Costi Sifri, of the University of Virginia Health System. People at higher risk of complications should always talk with their doctor about what is best for them, Sifri added. Older adults and those with weak immune systems may need more boosters than others, he said. Are more younger kids getting sick with COVID-19? Last week, the CDC noted emergency room visits among children younger than 4 were rising. That makes sense, Blumberg said, because many young kids are getting it for the first time or are unvaccinated. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in May that the shots would no longer be recommended for healthy kids, a decision that health experts have said lacks scientific basis. The American Academy of Pediatrics still endorses COVID-19 shots for children older than 6 months. How else can I lower my risk? The same things that help prevent colds, flu and COVID any other time of the year work in the summer, doctors say. Spend time outside when you can, wash your hands, wear a mask. And if you're sick, stay home. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Got the sniffles? Here's what to know about summer colds, COVID-19 and more
Summer heat, outdoor fun ... and cold and flu symptoms? The three may not go together in many people's minds: partly owing to common myths about germs and partly because many viruses really do have lower activity levels in the summer. But it is possible to get the sniffles — or worse — in the summer. Federal data released Friday , for example, shows COVID-19 is trending up in many parts of the country, with emergency department visits up among people of all ages. Here's what to know about summer viruses. How much are colds and flu circulating right now? The number of people seeking medical care for three key illnesses — COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — is currently low, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu is trending down and RSV was steady this week. But COVID-19 is trending up in many mid-Atlantic, southeast, Southern and West Coast states. The expectation is that COVID-19 will eventually settle into a winter seasonal pattern like other coronaviruses, but the past few years have brought a late summer surge, said Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at University of California Davis Children's Hospital. Other viruses circulating this time of year include the one that causes 'hand, foot and mouth' disease — which has symptoms similar to a cold, plus sores and rashes — and norovirus , sometimes called the stomach flu. Do viruses spread less in the summer? Many viruses circulate seasonally, picking up as the weather cools in the fall and winter. So it's true that fewer people get stuffy noses and coughs in the summer — but cold weather itself does not cause colds. It's not just about seasonality. The other factor is our behavior, experts say. Nice weather means people are opening windows and gathering outside where it's harder for germs to spread. But respiratory viruses are still around. When the weather gets too hot and everyone heads inside for the air conditioning, doctors say they start seeing more sickness. In places where it gets really hot for a long time, summer can be cold season in its own right. 'I grew up on the East Coast and everybody gets sick in the winter,' said Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency room doctor and Arizona State University researcher. 'A lot of people get sick in the summer here. Why is that? Because you spend more time indoors.' Should you get another COVID-19 booster now? For people who are otherwise healthy, timing is a key consideration to getting any vaccine. You want to get it a few weeks before that big trip or wedding, if that's the reason for getting boosted, doctors say. But, for most people, it may be worth waiting until the fall in anticipation of winter cases of COVID-19 really tick up. 'You want to be fully protected at the time that it's most important for you,' said Dr. Costi Sifri, of the University of Virginia Health System. People at higher risk of complications should always talk with their doctor about what is best for them, Sifri added. Older adults and those with weak immune systems may need more boosters than others, he said. Are more younger kids getting sick with COVID-19? Last week, the CDC noted emergency room visits among children younger than 4 were rising. That makes sense, Blumberg said, because many young kids are getting it for the first time or are unvaccinated. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in May that the shots would no longer be recommended for healthy kids, a decision that health experts have said lacks scientific basis. The American Academy of Pediatrics still endorses COVID-19 shots for children older than 6 months. How else can I lower my risk? The same things that help prevent colds, flu and COVID any other time of the year work in the summer, doctors say. Spend time outside when you can, wash your hands, wear a mask. And if you're sick, stay home. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
