A Superior court judge in King County, Washington has awarded $15.2 million to a 8-year-old girl after a doctor at the Seattle Children’s Hospital mistakenly recommended an over-the-counter drug that that left her with permanent brain damage, The Seattle Times reports.

MacKenzie Briant was only 4 years old when she came down with a cold and a stuffy nose. As an infant she had undergone a heart transplant, so her mother contacted Seattle Children’s Transplant Service where the little girl normally received care.

Dr. Cory Noel, a University of Washington cardiology fellow working in the transplant unit at the time, returned the concerned mother’s call.

Noel spoke with MacKenzie’s cardiologist, Dr. Yuk Law, about treatment suggestions. According to court documents, Dr. Law gave a specific warning to Dr. Noel about avoiding the use of the over-the-counter decongestant Afrin because it could potentially give the little girl heart problems.

Dr. Noel misunderstood the instructions and told MacKenzie’s mother to give her the Afrin instead. Soon after taking the drug, MacKenzie suffered cardiac arrest.

“The medical literature is clear. Giving a heart-transplant patient a dose of Afrin is unacceptable,” Briant family attorney Ralph Brindley said during an interview with MyNorthwest.com. “It was unbelievable. Because of the cardiac arrest she was without oxygen for a substantial period of time and suffered a severe brain injury.”

The Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington both admitted there was negligence on the part of at least one of these doctors, although they did attempt to argue that the Afrin was not the cause of the cardiac arrest.

MacKenzie’s mother, Elaine Briant, said during an interview, “She cannot move with purpose, she cannot communicate other than making some noises that we try very hard to decipher, she is fed through her stomach, she requires 24 hour care. It’s just changed the whole way our family lives.”

Elaine is hoping the settlement will help provide better care for MacKenzie and allow them to pursue other treatment options as well.

Elaine also says they do not blame the Seattle Children’s Hospital or Dr. Law, who advised against the use of Afrin and still remains MacKenzie’s cardiologist.

According to Brindley, the award is one of the largest medical malpractice awards in state history.