BEAUMONT, Texas — 12-year-old Dre Lowe, of Nederland, came home Tuesday after spending two weeks in the hospital with a rare coronavirus-related illness.
He's is one of two Southeast Texas boys who've recently battled this diagnosis.
What was once a nightmare for Dre Lowe is turning into a happy ending. He is home. And even better, he's helping to save the lives of other children.
While Dre Lowe held on for his life for 14 days, he ended up helping other children fighting the same battle, which is a rare disease known as MIS-C.
“I kept thinking, 'Well, he saved the life, you know, if he only knew he saved a life,'” said mother Missy Lowe.
His story reached other families sorting through the same symptoms after their children were diagnosed with COVID-19.
“I get choked up about it a little bit. I never realized how many mothers were going through the same thing,” Missy Lowe said.
Dre Lowe's mom said those concerned moms reached out to create a community of support for their children and each other.
“Look, we have these symptoms and our kids are doing this, do you think it's that,” Missy Lowe said.
RELATED: Nederland boy in coma battling rare MIS-C syndrome at Texas Children's Hospital
14 days later, her son is finally out of the ICU, preparing to adjust to a new world back at home. But, the road to recovery is long and winding.
“He does have more appointments to look at his heart and lungs, so we will be doing that, and he's on a lot of medicine,” Missy Lowe said.
Missy Lowe said her son had three things he couldn't wait to reconnect with.
“So, he couldn't wait to see dad and his dog, and get to his own couch where there wasn't a beeping noise,” Missy Lowe said.
Not only is Dre Lowe leaving the hospital with his improving health, he now takes comfort in knowing his story led to other children getting the help that they needed to survive.
“He was like, ‘Mom, I saved other people's life,’ and I was like, ‘Yes, you did buddy. You did it. You did it. Your rareness did it,’” Missy Lowe said.
The Lowe family said gratitude is their biggest takeaway from this life-changing experience.
“We just want to say thank you for all the prayers and donations., did I mention the prayers,” Missy Lowe said.
Dre Lowe’s battle isn't over yet. Missy Lowe said MIS-C could come back again and they'll have to be super cautious moving forward.