BANGOR, Maine — A five-year-old from Newburgh, Lily Purdy, has a very rare condition called Autoimmune Encephalitis.
One day, she came back from school...
"With a headache and a stomach ache, and 24 hours later, she was completely immobile..she couldn't walk, she couldn't talk," Jenny MacArthur, Purdy's mother said.
Lily's parents knew something was wrong.
"She was in a coma-like state for about 13 days where she didn't do anything," said MacArthur.
Lily was diagnosed with Autoimmune Encephalitis. It occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy brain cells.
Lily has been recuperating very rapidly.
"She has an extreme amount of energy," said MacArthur.
Lily spent more than 50 days at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. During extended hospital stays, her family has a special room there for increased comfort.
Luckily, her family was able to stay most of the day in a Ronald McDonald family room inside the pediatric unit.
The rooms at Maine Med in Portland and Northern Light in Bangor are the only hospitals in the state with these units.
It provides families with additional comfort and support. The rooms include a laundry, a TV, and a kitchen area to cook meals.
"We wanted to give them that option where they didn't have to leave the hospital to purchase food or snacks or supplies, we try to provide anything they might need in the meantime where they can relax for a little bit and make a meal," said Whitney Linscott, the Bangor Ronald MacDonald house manager.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine is always looking for volunteers that could be at the rooms or the houses to help families in any way they can.
"To be able to provide a space where they can do all of that without having to leave their child there...keeping families close is one of our goals for the Ronald McDonald House," said Linscott.
"As great as the hospital staff is, I didn't want them cooking for my daughter...I wanted to do that...because I'm her mom and it was the only thing I could do to help in my mind make her feel better."
A place where Lily learned to walk, talk, eat, drink... all over again.