Sudbury Girl Who Fought EEE Going Back To School

SUDBURY, MA — The young Sudbury girl who survived a bout with Eastern equine encephalitis this year is doing well and will begin pre-kindergarten soon, according to an update on the girl's GoFundMe fundraiser page.

In an update posted in mid-December, fundraiser organizer Debbie Moynihan wrote that Sophia Garabedian was well enough to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, and will head back to school soon.

"Sophia is doing quite well with her recovery. She is still in outpatient therapy and is beginning half day kindergarten! We are so thankful for her progress and continue to pray she makes a full recovery. Special thank you to everyone for your support. We appreciate it so much and are so thankful," Moynihan wrote.

On Sept. 3, Garabedian went to Boston Children's Hospital with EEE symptoms like fever, headache, and seizures. But by Sept. 13, she was improving, and was later transferred to the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. She was released from the hospital on Oct. 4.

In the most severe year for EEE in recent history, 12 people from Massachusetts contracted the virus and three died. Survivors face a long recovery, however, with lasting mental and physical difficulty, according to the Centers for Disease Control.