Mom Issues Chilling Warning After a “Thanksgiving Kiss” Landed Her 2-Year-Old Daughter in the ICU

A Florida mother is sounding the alarm after what she calls a “Thanksgiving kiss” sent her two-year-old daughter to the ICU fighting for her life with a severe viral infection.

With the holiday season approaching, 30-year-old Destiny Smith is urging people to think twice before kissing or getting too close to someone else’s child.

Last year, Destiny initially noticed what appeared to be mild cold symptoms in her then–two-year-old daughter as Thanksgiving neared. But within hours, it became clear something was seriously wrong — the toddler’s breathing suddenly became strained and difficult.

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Doctors at the hospital informed Destiny that her daughter — now three — had contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory virus that can be especially dangerous for infants and toddlers. As the child’s condition deteriorated rapidly, she had to be airlifted to a pediatric ICU.

Destiny, who lives in Lake County, Florida, recalled:

“She looked like she had a cold, but something about it was different.
Her breathing became really strange, so we rushed her to the hospital — and throughout the night, she got worse and worse.”

“After two days, they life-flighted her to the PICU. They were giving her breathing treatments every two hours, and her oxygen levels kept dropping.”

The toddler spent eight terrifying days fighting for her life — but ultimately, she made a full recovery.

During the first night in the hospital, Destiny watched her daughter’s condition spiral. She and her partner never left her bedside as the little girl grew weaker.

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After two days, the toddler was transferred by helicopter to the pediatric ICU, where she stayed for five days.

“One minute she’d seem okay, and the next she wasn’t. It was unbelievably scary,” Destiny said.

“The doctors had no idea whether she would get better or suddenly get worse. It was awful.”

Things got so dire that Destiny found herself mentally planning her daughter’s funeral — a moment no parent should ever face. Thankfully, the little girl finally began to improve.

Destiny explained that friends and family had hugged and kissed her daughter in the days before she became sick. While she can’t say definitively that this caused her child’s infection, the experience has permanently changed how she handles close contact with others.

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“I always tell people now to be careful about letting anyone outside the immediate family hug or kiss their child, because the next kid could be theirs,” she said.

“I think it’s incredibly important to raise awareness about this.”

She added a final plea to parents:

“I want other moms and dads to know how fast things can turn serious. Trust your instincts — if something feels wrong, get your child checked right away.”