The child’s father shared details of the family’s 45-day ordeal, while actress Shamna Kasim paid tribute to her young dance student.
A seven-year-old Dubai student has died in Kerala after spending 45 days in hospital battling Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES), a rare and severe neurological condition.
Ameya Ajith, a Grade 1 student in Dubai and the only child of her parents, fell ill while on holiday with her family in Kerala. She died following a cardiac arrest on September 14, her father, Ajith KP, told Gulf News.
Her funeral was held in her hometown in Kerala on Tuesday.
A healthy child before the illness
According to her father, Ameya had shown no warning signs before the sudden onset of her illness.
“She had no symptoms earlier. She was a healthy, bright girl,” he said.
The family had travelled to Kerala for their summer vacation and celebrated Ameya’s seventh birthday on July 6.
Only weeks earlier, she had also celebrated with friends at her dance school in Dubai.
The family initially had no reason to believe anything was wrong. Ameya remained well during the first part of the holiday before suddenly developing seizures on July 30.
Sudden seizures changed everything.
The seizures led to Ameya’s hospitalisation, where doctors diagnosed her with Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome, commonly known as FIRES.
FIRES is an extremely rare neurological condition that can affect children who were previously healthy. It is characterised by the sudden development of prolonged, treatment-resistant seizures, often following a nonspecific febrile illness. The precise cause remains unclear.
The condition has an estimated incidence of around one case per million children. Research also shows that it can lead to prolonged intensive-care treatment, chronic epilepsy, and significant neurological complications among survivors.
What is FIRES?
Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome is a subtype of new-onset refractory status epilepticus.
It typically develops in previously healthy children following a brief, nonspecific febrile illness. Seizures can begin within days of the illness and may become extremely difficult to control.
The condition is exceptionally rare. A multicentre study of 77 children found that 11.7% died during the acute phase, while 93% of survivors developed refractory epilepsy at follow-up.
There is no single established treatment that cures FIRES. Doctors generally focus on controlling seizures and managing the complications associated with the condition.
45 days in intensive care
Ameya was eventually moved to the intensive care unit and placed on a ventilator under continuous sedation.
Her father said doctors were able to bring the seizures under control after around two to three weeks.
But Ameya remained unconscious.
Her family hoped she would eventually leave the ICU and begin recovering. Instead, she suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest after 45 days of hospitalisation.
“She was not conscious. But we were hoping she would be out of the ICU within a week or two. That is when she suffered a cardiac arrest, completely unexpectedly,” her father said.
Her mother, Meera Ajith, was left devastated by the loss.
Meera had previously worked in digital marketing but had taken a career break to spend more time with her daughter and support her studies and passion for dance.
A young dancer remembered.
Ameya was also a student at Shamna Kasim Dance Studio in Dubai, founded by Malayalam actress and dancer Shamna Kasim.
Following the news of her death, Kasim shared a tribute to her young student on Instagram.
She remembered Ameya’s smile, her presence in the studio, and the affection she had for the child.
Kasim described Ameya as more than a student, calling her a cherished member of the dance school’s family.
The tribute reflected the impact of Ameya’s death beyond her immediate family, particularly among the people who had known her through her studies and dance.
A family’s 45-day ordeal
For the Ajith family, what began as an ordinary summer holiday became a 45-day medical ordeal.
Ameya had been healthy, had recently celebrated her seventh birthday, and was continuing her studies and dance training in Dubai.
Within weeks, a sudden neurological illness had placed her in intensive care.
FIRES remains poorly understood, and researchers continue to investigate its causes, mechanisms and treatment. Current medical literature describes it as a rare but potentially fatal condition that can cause prolonged seizures and serious neurological consequences.
Ameya’s death has left her family, teachers and young friends in Dubai mourning a child whose illness came without the warning signs they had expected.
Read more news and follow us on Instagram.
Source: Gulf News
Ameya Ajith
Supplied
