Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Good news for the family of Michigan middle school student Sara Ensley. The girl returned home from the hospital weeks earlier than expected after experiencing a severe adverse reaction to medication known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS, according to the Grand Haven Tribune.

SJS is a rare but life-threatening condition that presents as a rash that blisters over causing the skin to peel off in sheets and leaving the body prone to infection. Sara’s mother says half of her daughter’s skin was affected. SJS also can affect the mucus membranes, causing blisters to form on the eyes and mouth, leading to serious complications such as blindness and dehydration.

Hospitalized since March 10, Sara still has a long road of recovery ahead of her. During her hospital stay she was put into a drug-induced coma and treated as if she suffered from second-degree burns, according to her mother, Dena Ensley.

Sara will be staying at her uncle’s house where there are plenty of people to keep watch over her. They will administer medication for her pain and drops to her eyes.

“She has pain in her eyes and light sensitivity,” says Dena. The blisters from SJS damaged her corneas and made her vision blurry. Her voice is also very raspy. Despite her progress, her mother says Sara has a hard time looking in the mirror.

Visitors will be kept to just close friends and family, and she will make regular visits to Grand Rapids to visit her doctor until he gives her the “all clear.”

“She’s still sleeping a lot — taking lots and lots of naps,” Dena told the newspaper. “But she’s home.”

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