The Vineyard infant who contracted a rare and potentially lethal tick-borne virus earlier this summer is recovering at home with her family. 

Tiffany Sisco this week said her daughter Lily, who went to the hospital in July just about a month after she was born, has been hitting the targets set for her by doctors after being diagnosed with the Powassan virus. 

“Lily is doing great,” Ms. Sisco said Tuesday. “We have been home a little over a month now and we are all adjusting back quite nicely.”

Lily’s case initially baffled doctors. On July 24, she was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital with a persistent 102-degree fever. She also had several seizures and was determined to have viral encephalitis. 

Medical professionals with Mass General and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control later diagnosed Lily with Powassam, a viral infection transmitted by an infected tick, Ms. Sisco said earlier this summer.

Lily’s case was the second on the Island in 20 years, and she is believed to be the youngest patient to ever come down with the virus. 

No longer confined to the hospital, Lily has started to show her personality to the family, according to Ms. Sisco. 

“Lily has been hitting all her milestones and has found her little voice and personality,” she said. 

There is no cure, vaccine or specific treatment for Powassan, which in severe cases can cause brain swelling, seizures and other neurological complications. The family previously said Lily had suffered brain damage and even had 20 seizures in one day.

Now the Siscos and her doctors are keeping a close eye on Lily to see how she progresses.

“We will be monitoring her and watching her closely but the brain’s plasticity is quite an amazing thing,” Ms. Sisco said.

The family believes that Lily was infected after being bit by a tick while the family was on a walk on the bike path in West Tisbury near the family’s home.

Powassan remains relatively rare in Massachusetts, with about 1 per cent of ticks believed to be infected with the virus, so-named after a case where a young boy died in Powassan, Ontario. 

The Sisco family and medical professionals are doing everything they can to ensure that Lily has a bright future. 

“With doctors, intervention and family by her side, we will all be working closely every step of the way to make sure she has the best outcome and life possible,” Ms. Sisco said.