A young girl was left brain-damaged after someone kissed her on the mouth when she was just two days old.
Breelyn, 8, was born a healthy baby but suffered a traumatic brain injury after being kissed by a person who had a cold sore.
As her immune system wasn't developed at the time, the infant started experiencing seizures and contracted an infection called HSV encephalitis, which went on to cause brain damage.
The virus is "a rare neurological disorder characterized by inflammation of the brain (encephalitis)," and common symptoms include "headaches, fevers, drowsiness, hyperactivity, and/or general weakness," according to the National Organization of Rare Disorders.
The illness is extremely rare and only affects one in 500,000 individuals per year.
Per the medical report, affected individuals may develop speech problems after the initial symptoms of HSV encephalitis appear. These are a struggle to communicate by speech, writing, and/or signs (aphasia), loss of the sense of smell, as well as memory loss.
In addition to this, in some cases, behavioral changes can occur, such as hyperactivity or psychotic episodes.
Breelyn's mom opened up about her daughter's devastating condition during an interview on the Special Books by Special Kids' YouTube channel.
She began by explaining what happened to her beloved child, sharing: "[Breelyn] was born healthy. She was fine. And at two days old, somebody was so excited to see her that they kissed her on the mouth, and two weeks later we started having seizures."
The interviewer then asked how the kiss caused Breelyn's brain injury, to which her mom said: "The infection got into her brain fluid and it attacked her brain."
"It attacks the left side of her brain mostly. It had just started moving over to the right side when we caught it," she continued. "More or less, the encephalitis ate away at her brain tissue."
The mom disclosed that 60 percent of her daughter's left part of the young girl's brain was damaged, while 10 percent of the right side was.
Elsewhere in the interview, the mom revealed that she decided to forgive the person who kissed her child.
"You know, it was an accident and they didn't truly mean it," she disclosed. "I'm gonna let it go because she's at least here with us and that's all I can really ask for."
Breelyn is coping well despite the extent of her severe life-changing injuries. However, doctors don't know if she will live into adulthood.
That's why her loving parents are making sure that she has "the best journey" in life.