Eight-year-old Breelynn, a bright and joyful baby at birth, saw her life change before it even truly began. Her mother remembers those early days with warmth… and deep heartbreak. One innocent kiss—given out of excitement—changed everything.
Like many newborns, she was adored by everyone who met her. But at just two days old, someone kissed her on the mouth. Two weeks later, tiny Breelynn began having seizures. Her mother watched her healthy newborn slip into a frightening medical crisis.
People online reacted with shock and sorrow, urging others to understand the danger. One person wrote, “Never kiss a baby on the mouth. You just don’t know the risk.”

The turning point came when doctors discovered the truth: the person who kissed Baby Breelynn had a cold sore. That simple moment transferred the herpes simplex virus, leading to severe HSV encephalitis. As her mother explains, “The infection got into her brain fluid… and it attacked her brain.”
Those words carry a weight no parent should ever feel.
The virus damaged about 60% of the left side of her brain and affected the right as well. Today, Breelynn cannot walk or talk, yet every smile and flicker of recognition is treated as a small miracle. Her future remains uncertain, and doctors don’t expect her to reach adulthood.

Still, her mother holds onto grace, saying, “It was an accident. They didn’t mean it.”
Her message is simple and urgent: newborns are fragile. A harmless kiss can carry hidden danger. Families are now sharing her story to protect the next baby—before it’s too late.