This story was updated Jan. 13, 2020, with updates on Jade's condition and on Jan. 10 with news that Jade returned home.

Jan. 9, 2020 -- Jade DeLucia, 4, of Iowa is home after a bout of the flu landed her in the intensive care unit fighting for her life and her eyesight.

Amanda Phillips, Jade's mother, says they are hoping for the best and trying to settle in at home since Jade was discharged on Jan. 9. "She's doing great with walking, eating and talking, but is still blind," Phillips said Monday in an interview with WebMD.

Doctors say Jade developed a very rare complication of the flu. "What we think is happening is [a condition called] acute necrotizing encephalopathy, is a reaction after the flu infection, an inflammatory process that can lead to blindness, " says Alex Bassuk, MD, PhD, division director of pediatric neurology for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, one of the first doctors to care for Jade. She was flown to the hospital Dec. 24 after being diagnosed with the flu, according to Jennifer Brown, PhD, a spokesperson for the Iowa City hospital.

"That is a rare process that occurs and often it occurs after influenza," Bassuk says. "But it is a very rare occurrence even with influenza."

Inflammation from the encephalopathy can lead to blindness, Bassuk says. The last case he saw was in 2003, he said, and he has been in training since 1999. "She was treated with different kinds of antinflammatories — such as steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin. Now we will just have to wait. I do expect some recovery."

One of Jade's doctors, Theresa Czech, MD, told CNN it could take 3 to 6 months before they know if Jade's vision loss is permanent.

The girl's grandmother, Courtney Frey, told a local television station that the infection made the girl's brain swell. On the family Facebook page to help support Jade's fight, there was mention of eyesight problems. CNN reported that Jade had been diagnosed with acute necrotizing encephalopathy, which is usually caused by a viral infection.