TikTok star Bella Thomson, also known by fans as Bella Brave, has been placed in a medically induced coma after a recent health scare.
The 10-year-old’s mother, Kyla Thomson, confirmed the news via Instagram on Wednesday, July 10, writing, “She’s stable and that in itself is the improvement for now.” In a previous social media post, Kyla revealed that Bella had been hospitalized with a viral lung infection and that doctors believe she has developed Bronchiolitis Obliterans.
“To treat BO you treat with the high dose steroids for the lungs. The risk here is severely worsening the cmv/infection and risking her life,” Kyla captioned hospital pics of her daughter on Sunday, July 7. “They are stuck. Short of another biopsy in a different space when she is not stable enough for being put under. And if she worsens while we wait to decide, she may need to be intubated.”
In Wednesday’s post, which featured more hospital pics of Bella and cards from well-wishers, Kyla said there has been “a rapid fibrosis like deterioration of Bella’s lungs.” She explained: “They believe it could be an immune response. They’ve seen this post BMT but why it’s happening now and this fast is unknown to them.”
As doctors continue to figure out a treatment plan, Kyla said that their current option is for Bella to take a “large dose [of] steroids.” She added: “We are on day 2 of those and day 3 will give us more information on how soon we could see her lung function improve.”
Kyla noted that both she and her husband, Lyle Thomson, comfort their daughter by talking to her, playing her music and “reading her all the cards, letters and messages you’ve all sent. She concluded her update by writing, “We are praying and believing we have stopped the fibrosis attack on her lungs, in enough time, that still allows her lungs to heal & function again. This wait is beyond unbearable.”
Kyla shared another Instagram update with fans on Tuesday, July 9, revealing that Bella was “stable & intubated in the ICU.” Noting that doctors “don’t know if she’ll survive this,” Kyla explained that her daughter was intubated after she “started to doze off & have delirium” while taking her lung steroids.
“We waited hours before they came out to tell us if she survived intubation and remained stable,” Kyla told fans. “It was hard for them to get her lungs to expand. They saw her lungs looked perfect inside. Not red or swollen. Nothing showing damage from infection. The issue is with her lungs being stiff and difficult to expand and they need to figure out why. They will figure out why & they will fix it, I refuse to believe anything less.”
Bella and Kyla have gained a social media following of 7 million TikTok followers and more than 337,000 Instagram followers by sharing Bella’s experience with multiple medical conditions, including the intestinal disorder Hirschsprung’s disease.
On Tuesday, Kyle also reposted several fans’ messages of support via her Instagram Story. “The little girl who gives me the strength and hope to fight my Cron’s every day is fighting a terrible battle herself right now,” one Instagram user wrote. “Please send all your love and (if you pray) prayers to @kylact and her family.”
