We would just like to thank you so much for your wonderful and informative website.  It has helped us immensely and has been of some comfort to know that there are people in a neighboring country trying to make people aware of this terrible disease.
 
When Danielle was diagnosed with Kawasaki Syndrome, we were terrified and really had no idea what we could do.  You were a great support for us and it was a relief to know that there were doctors in Durban that were knowledgeable about this disease.  Unfortunately Danielle was not diagnosed in time for the correct treatment but she should have been!  She had all the symptoms such as blood shot eyes, swollen cracked lips, rash on the body, high temperatures etc.  our GP did correctly diagnose it but I think that the pediatrician was not fully aware of Kawasaki and therefore brushed off the notion that she could have Kawasaki Syndrome.  It was through the internet and through your site that we came to realize that she was sick with Kawasaki.  The after effects of this disease e.g. peeling hands and feet, sticky blood platelets etc were discovered but by then it was opps….. sorry we made a mistake with the diagnosis!
She had to go on disprin for some time because of her sticky blood and she became allergic to this.  Her whole body was full of eczema which she had never had before and she was so itchy and red and bloody from scratching.  We were told it was better to have her itchy and to stay on the disprin than to take her off it.  Luckily when we were eventually allowed to stop the disprin her eczema cleared up.

Doctors and families should be made more aware of Kawasaki Syndrome and its symptoms and treatment to prevent ramifications in later years for the children who happen to get this disease.  Your website is a wonderful way to raise awareness and to give support and so we just want to thank you and encourage you to keep up the great work.
Danielle so far has had the all clear with her heart ecg's and heart echoes but she is not out the woods yet and we will continue to go for heart ecg's for a while yet.  Other than that her nails have taken some time to come right as they were all pitted and her thumbs were infected but she is not almost fully recovered, almost a year later!
Kind regards to you

Brenda Pattenden
Gary Ian Pattenden
Paddington's Insurance Agency
P O Box HG 781
Highlands
Harare
Zimbabwe

Email: gazbrends@zim.co.zw