Sophia Garabedian, the 5-year-old Sudbury girl diagnosed with the rare Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus earlier this month, is in recovery, slowly regaining her appetite and ability to speak, a family friend says.

“Sophia continues to make slow and steady gains,” Debbie Moynihan wrote Sunday in a post on the GoFundMe page set up to support the Garabedian family. “She is meeting every day with neurologists and physical therapists and trying very hard. We are all so proud of her!”

Garabedian, who’s been receiving treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital since Sept. 3, is one of eight people in Massachusetts who has contracted the mosquito-borne EEE virus this year amid the state’s first outbreak since 2012.


The potentially fatal infection, which spreads through mosquitos usually found near hardwood swamps, often triggers brain swelling, fever, and coma. There is no vaccine for EEE.

The GoFundMe campaign was created last week to help the Garabedian’s cover out-of-pocket medical expenses. The initiative had raised over $170,000 as of Monday morning.

Garabedian, described as a “happy, loving little girl” who loves gymnastics and playing with her friends, contracted the virus after finishing her first week of kindergarten, according to the page.

In an update posted to the fundraising page on Sept. 10, Moynihan, a co-organizer of the effort, wrote that Garabedian was officially in “fair condition,” but could still not talk or walk and added that she had “limited cognitive function.”

“Sophia is beginning to show some signs of improvement,” another update posted that day by Kirstin Garabedian says. “The doctors say the swelling in her brain is starting to subside. She’s out of the acute phase and entering the recovery phase.”

As of Sept. 12, Sophia Garabedian had been moved out of the intensive care unit and had begun physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, Moynihan wrote.

“She continues to show signs of improvement,” she wrote. “This morning she had pet therapy. We would like to thank everyone for their support, thoughtfulness and generosity.”


On Sunday, Moynihan wrote that Garabedian was regaining her appetite and “can even whisper a few words.”

The Garabedians are “so grateful for the incredible love and support you all have shown,” she added.

According to Moynihan, organizers of the GoFundMe have opted to increase the fundraising goal to $200,000 after learning more about potential, long-term expenses such as rehabilitation and accessibility modifications for the family’s home.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Friday the state’s eighth human EEE case after the virus was found in a northeastern Bristol County man in his 50s.

Officials said another wave of aerial spraying for mosquito control was slated to start Monday in parts of Hampshire, Hampden, and Worcester counties.

“Even though it is September, it is still mosquito season,” Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said in a statement Friday. “We continue to emphasize the need for people to protect themselves from mosquito bites.”