SHE SAID, "DADDY, I THINK MOMMY IS DYING."
[ SCREAMING ]
Narrator: NATURE'S DEADLIEST ORGANISMS...
[ CRYING ]
I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GONNA LOSE HER.
Narrator: THEY CAN HIJACK OUR BODIES...
THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING.
Narrator: ...DISABLE OUR IMMUNE SYSTEMS...
IT MAKES THE BODY ATTACK ITSELF.
Narrator: ...AND EAT US FROM WITHIN.
IT WAS REALLY FRIGHTENING.
Narrator: FOR THOSE INFECTED,
THEY ARE "THE MONSTERS INSIDE ME."
28-YEAR-OLD RUTH GODEJOHN
LIVES IN THE SMALL TOWN OF SHELBY,
DEEP IN THE HEART OF RURAL NEBRASKA.
SHE HAS FOUR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS --
6-YEAR-OLD KORTNEY,
5-YEAR-OLD SARAH,
2-YEAR-OLD EMILY, AND A NEW BABY, WENDY.
IT WAS PRETTY CRAZY BEING A MOM OF FOUR.
THEY GOT ME LAUGHING. THEY HAD ME CRYING WITH JOY.
JUST BEING THEIR MOM WAS THE GREATEST ADVENTURE.
Narrator: KORTNEY IS THE ELDEST DAUGHTER IN THE FAMILY.
Kortney: IT'S FUN HAVING THREE YOUNGER SISTERS.
I LIKED BEING THE OLDEST.
IT'S A LOT OF WORK, YOU KNOW,
HAVING TO KEEP EVERYBODY IN LINE.
Narrator: BUT THERE IS ONE THING
THE WHOLE FAMILY LOVES TO DO TOGETHER.
Ruth: THE GIRLS LOVED BEING OUTDOORS.
WE TOOK 'EM FISHING QUITE OFTEN.
WE SPENT TIME, YOU KNOW, DAYS CAMPING.
Narrator: AND 2-YEAR-OLD EMILY
HAS HER OWN PARTICULAR APPROACH TO FISHING.
EMILY LIKED TO GOOF AROUND A LOT.
EMILY WOULD PICK UP ROCKS AND START THROWING THEM.
AND EITHER I OR MY MOM WOULD BE LIKE,
"STOP, YOU'RE GONNA SCARE THE FISH AWAY."
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY.
Narrator: BUT THE FAMILY IS ABOUT TO DISCOVER
THAT NATURE ISN'T ALWAYS SO HARMLESS.
ONE MORNING IN EARLY JUNE,
RUTH IS GETTING THE GIRLS READY FOR THE DAY.
Ruth: I WOKE EMILY UP TO GET HER DRESSED
SO I COULD GET HER SISTERS OFF TO SCHOOL.
AND I NOTICED
ABOUT A QUARTER-SIZED LUMP ON HER NECK.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS STRANGE.
I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED THAT WITH THE OLDER TWO SISTERS.
I WAS CONCERNED,
BUT I FIGURED I WOULD GIVE HER TYLENOL EVERY FOUR HOURS
TO SEE IF THAT WOULD TAKE IT AWAY.
Narrator: BUT THE NEXT DAY,
RUTH FINDS THAT STRANGE LUMP IS STILL THERE.
Ruth: I WENT IN TO HER PEDIATRICIAN,
AND THEY DID AN EXAMINATION.
AND THEY TOOK ONE LOOK AT HER NECK,
AND THEY EXPLAINED TO ME IT WAS A INFECTION
THAT CAUSED A LYMPH NODE TO SWELL.
Narrator: LYMPH NODES ARE PART OF THE BODY'S IMMUNE SYSTEM.
WHEN THE BODY DETECTS AN INFECTIOUS AGENT,
IT SENDS LYMPHATIC FLUID TO THE LYMPH NODES,
MAKING THEM SWELL.
DOCTORS GIVE EMILY ANTIBIOTICS.
I IMMEDIATELY START ADMINISTERING IT TO HER.
THE NEXT MORNING, THE LUMP GREW.
WITHIN LESS THAN 24 HOURS, IT JUST OVERPOWERED HER NECK.
IT JUST WAS HUGE.
[ Ringing ]
I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE BACK.
BUT THEY JUST TOLD ME TO CONTINUE
TO ADMINISTER THE MEDICINE, THAT SHE'LL GET BETTER.
I WAS A LITTLE ANGRY BECAUSE I THOUGHT
THEY SHOULD'VE AT LEAST INVESTIGATED IT
A LITTLE BIT MORE.
Narrator: NEVERTHELESS, RUTH CONTINUES
THE ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT.
Ruth: THE NEXT DAY, I SAW BLACK RINGS UNDER HER EYES.
IT LOOKED LIKE SHE GOT HIT UNDER BOTH EYES.
SHE WAS VERY, VERY FRUSTRATED
BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T EXPRESS IN MORE LOGIC TERMS
OF HOW SHE WAS FEELING.
ALL SHE COULD DO WAS JUST CRY.
I WAS SCARED.
I HONESTLY THOUGHT THESE DOCTORS MUST BE CRAZY
BECAUSE THIS CHILD IS NOT GETTING BETTER.
SO, I ENDED UP TAKING HER TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
Narrator: THERE, AN E.R. DOCTOR REVIEWS EMILY'S CASE.
THE DOCTOR TOOK ONE LOOK AT HER,
AND THE OPTION WAS TO LET THE DOCTOR
GIVE HER A PURE PENICILLIN SHOT.
Narrator: PENICILLIN IS AN ANTIBIOTIC USED TO TREAT
A WIDE RANGE OF SERIOUS INFECTIONS.
Ruth: THE DOCTOR ADMINISTERED THE SHOT.
MY BIGGEST HOPE WAS THAT IT WAS GONNA WORK
AND THAT THINGS WERE GONNA START IMPROVING.
Narrator: FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS,
RUTH KEEPS EMILY INDOORS, AND HER HEALTH SEEMS TO IMPROVE.
Ruth: IT WAS A WEEKEND,
AND WE WERE GONNA GO HAVE A FAMILY DAY OUTSIDE.
AND I STARTED COMBING HER HAIR,
AND SHE LET OUT THIS AWFUL SCREAM.
SO I START FEELING HER HEAD
AND I FEEL THIS BUMP IN THE BACK PART OF HER HEAD.
AND WHEN I STARTED SEPARATING HER HAIR,
I FOUND...A BLOATED TICK.
Narrator: TICKS ARE SMALL, INSECT-LIKE PARASITES
THAT FEED ON THE BLOOD OF THEIR HOST.
Ruth: I WAS FREAKING OUT.
THIS TICK LITERALLY
DUG ITS BODY AND ITS FEET RIGHT INTO HER SCALP.
Narrator: IMMEDIATELY, RUTH USES TWEEZERS
TO EXTRACT THE EMBEDDED TICK OUT OF EMILY'S HEAD.
Ruth: I ENDED UP SAVING THE TICK AND PUT IT IN A BOTTLE.
Narrator: RUTH TAKES EMILY AND THE SPECIMEN
BACK TO THEIR LOCAL PEDIATRICIAN.
Ruth: THE DOCTOR CAME IN, AND SHE EXPLAINED TO ME
THAT THE TICK THAT WE HAD TAKEN OFF OF EMILY
WAS AN AMERICAN DOG TICK.
Riskin: THE AMERICAN DOG TICK IS PRIMARILY FOUND
EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
IT CAN CARRY SEVERAL INFECTIOUS AGENTS
THAT CAN CAUSE MULTIPLE DISEASES,
INCLUDING ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER
AND CANINE TICK PARALYSIS,
ALL OF WHICH AFFECT HUMANS AND ARE POTENTIALLY FATAL.
Narrator: TO TEST FOR TICK-BORNE ILLNESSES,
THE PEDIATRICIAN SENDS RUTH AND EMILY
TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER,
78 MILES AWAY IN OMAHA.
THERE, PEDIATRIC DISEASE SPECIALIST
DR. ARCHANA CHATTERJEE REVIEWS HER CASE.
AT HER INITIAL PRESENTATION,
EMILY'S CASE WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY CLEAR.
SHE HAD AN ULCER ON HER HEAD
AT THE SITE WHERE THERE IS AN INSECT BITE.
Ruth: THEY DREW HER BLOOD -- JUST NUMEROUS BLOOD DRAWS --
FOR DIFFERENT THINGS.
SHE EXPRESSED A LOT OF HURT, A LOT OF PAIN.
THERE WAS MOMENTS WHERE SHE COULD EXPRESS HERSELF,
BUT THERE WAS JUST MOMENTS THAT SHE JUST CRIED.
AND IT'S LIKE MY HEART JUST ACHED.
Narrator: FOR THREE LONG WEEKS,
EMILY AND RUTH ARE IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL
WHILE DOCTORS ANALYZE THE BLOOD TESTS.
I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS, AND I WANTED THEM.
Narrator: SO, RUTH RETURNS WITH EMILY TO THE HOSPITAL.
Ruth: WE WERE SCHEDULED FOR ONE MORE APPOINTMENT --
THE FOLLOW-UP OF PREVIOUS TESTS.
THE DOCTOR COMES WALKING IN AND DECKED OUT
IN WHAT LOOKED LIKE ALMOST, LIKE, A RADIOACTIVE SUIT.
I HAVE THIS LOOK OF SHOCK ON MY FACE
'CAUSE OF COURSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON.
SHE TELLS ME THAT EMILY'S VERY CONTAGIOUS.
I WAS SCARED OUT OF MY MIND.
[ CRYING ]
Narrator: IN OMAHA, RUTH GODEJOHN IS IN THE HOSPITAL
WITH HER 2-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, EMILY,
WHEN DOCTORS WEARING ISOLATION GEAR
WHISK THE GIRL AWAY.
SHE TELLS US THAT EMILY'S INFECTIOUS,
AND SHE HAD TO BE QUARANTINED.
THE DOCTOR PROCEEDED TO EXPLAIN TO ME
THAT EMILY HAD TESTED POSITIVE FOR TULAREMIA.
Narrator: TULAREMIA IS AN INFECTIOUS, TICK-BORNE DISEASE
CAUSED BY A BACTERIA CALLED FRANCISELLA TULARENSIS.
INSIDE EMILY'S BODY,
THE BACTERIA COLONIZE HER SKIN AND KILL HER TISSUE.
WHITE BLOOD CELLS ATTEMPT TO DESTROY THE BACTERIA
BY INGESTING THEM BUT THE BACTERIA
ARE ABLE TO SURVIVE INSIDE THE WHITE BLOOD CELLS,
WHERE THEY CONTINUE TO REPRODUCE.
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
TRIES TO FLUSH OUT THE BACTERIA WITH FLUIDS.
THIS IS WHAT CAUSED EMILY'S SWOLLEN LYMPH NODES.
[ CRYING ]
Narrator: THE BACTERIA THAT CAUSES TULAREMIA INFECTIONS
IS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS, IS RESISTANT TO PENICILLIN,
AND CAN BE FATAL.
Dr. Chatterjee: BECAUSE EMILY HAD LARGE, OPEN SORE,
THOSE BACTERIA COULD BE AEROSOLIZED
FROM THAT ULCER SITE.
SO, SHE WAS PLACED IN ISOLATION
AND BECAUSE EMILY WENT UNDIAGNOSED
AND THEREFORE UNTREATED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS,
THE WORST OUTCOME, OBVIOUSLY, IS DEATH.
Ruth: I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GONNA LOSE HER.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF SHE WAS GONNA GET BETTER.
I WAS JUST --
IN ALL HONESTY, I WAS TRUSTING
THAT GOD WAS GONNA TAKE CARE OF HER.
MY HEART WAS BREAKING.
[ SNIFFLES ]
ROUGHLY 120 CASES OF TULAREMIA
ARE REPORTED IN THE UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR.
CHILDREN IN RURAL AREAS ARE MOST LIKELY
TO CONTRACT THE DISEASE DURING THE WARMER MONTHS,
AS THIS IS WHEN THEY ARE MOST LIKELY
TO BE EXPOSED TO TICKS.
WITHOUT TREATMENT, UP TO 60%
OF THOSE INFECTED WITH TULAREMIA IN THE UNITED STATES WILL DIE.
Narrator: BUT HOW DID EMILY CONTRACT THE DISEASE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Ruth: I REMEMBER EMILY BEING OUT FISHING
AT LEAST A COUPLE WEEKS PRIOR TO HER GETTING SICK.
THAT HAS GOT TO BE WHERE SHE CAUGHT THE TICK.
Narrator: DOCTORS PRESCRIBE A NEW ANTIBIOTIC
CALLED STREPTOMYCIN.
BUT ADMINISTERING IT ISN'T EASY.
THEY PUT THE PICC LINE IN
FROM HER ELBOW ALL THE WAY TO HER HEART.
Emily: [ CRYING ]
Ruth: SHE WAS CRYING AND SCREAMING,
AND THE DOCTORS WERE HOLDING HER DOWN,
AND THE NURSES WERE LIKE,
"MOM, IF YOU NEED TO LEAVE, WE'VE GOT THIS."
AND I'M LIKE, "I'M NOT LEAVING MY BABY."
Narrator: FOR SIX DAYS,
THE FAMILY REMAINS BY EMILY'S SIDE
AS SHE FIGHTS THE TULAREMIA INFECTION.
WE PRAYED A LOT, EVERY NIGHT.
SOMETIMES MY MOM WOULD LEAD US IN PRAYER
JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, SHE WAS PROTECTED.
Ruth: ALL I COULD DO WAS JUST REASSURE HER THAT I WAS THERE.
Narrator: AND THEN, ONE MORNING,
RUTH AND KORTNEY NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE.
Ruth: SHE FINALLY HAD COLOR IN HER FACE.
AND THAT WAS THE MOMENT I REALIZED
THAT EVERYTHING WAS GONNA BE OKAY.
SHE LOOKED SO MUCH BETTER.
WE HAD A GROUP HUG FOR MAYBE A GOOD 10 MINUTES OR SO.
Narrator: EMILY DEFEATS THE DEADLY TULAREMIA BACTERIA.
SHE COULD HAVE DIED FROM THIS.
THE DOCTORS HAD TOLD ME TO KEEP AN EYE ON HER
BECAUSE SHE COULD HAVE SOME KIDNEY PROBLEMS.
WE WERE VERY LUCKY WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY.
Narrator: TWO DAYS LATER, DOCTORS SEND EMILY HOME.
AND TODAY, EMILY GODEJOHN IS A HAPPY, HEALTHY 10-YEAR-OLD.
MY FAMILY TELLS ME ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
JUST MAKES ME THINK THAT, "WOW, I WENT THROUGH THAT,
AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED."
IT GIVES ME THE SHIVERS A LITTLE.
BUT I'M HAPPY THAT I'M HERE.
Kortney: I MEAN, IF SHE WASN'T HERE,
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD'VE DONE.
SHE'S MY SISTER.
Ruth: EMILY TODAY IS A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY KID.
SHE IS A JOY.
I'M GLAD SHE'S AROUND.
TO PREVENT TULAREMIA INFECTIONS AND OTHER TICK-BORNE ILLNESSES,
THE CDC RECOMMENDS USING DEET-BASED INSECT REPELLENT.
IF A PERSON COMES IN CONTACT WITH A TICK,
IT SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY REMOVED WITH TWEEZERS.
AND IF SYMPTOMS DEVELOP,
THEY SHOULD SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY.
Narrator: A SINISTER AFFLICTION PLAGUES A SMALL-TOWN MOM.
I FELT LIKE SOMEONE JUST PUNCHED ME IN THE GUT.
MY HEART DROPPED TO MY STOMACH.
Narrator: CHRIS AND KENDALL COBB ARE A MARRIED COUPLE
LIVING IN THE BUCOLIC TOWN OF ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA.
WE MOVED TO ROCKY MOUNT ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO.
WE LIKE THE SMALL-TOWN LIFE IN THIS AREA.
I LIKE THE RURAL AREAS AND THE MOM-AND-POP SHOPS.
Narrator: CHRIS WORKS AS A TIMBER BROKER,
AND KENDALL IS A STAY-AT-HOME MOM
WHO DEVOTES MOST OF HER TIME TO THEIR TWO KIDS --
9-YEAR-OLD CORBETT AND 5-YEAR-OLD MARY VIVIAN.
CORBETT IS 100% BOY.
HE'S INVOLVED IN ANYTHING OUTSIDE --
LOVES TO BE OUTDOORS.
MARY VIVIAN, SHE LOVES TO RIDE HORSES, LOVES ANIMALS,
AND IS JUST A VERY SWEET-NATURED CHILD.
Chris: KENDALL'S A GREAT MOM.
SHE'S VERY CARING, VERY COMPASSIONATE.
PUTS THE KIDS' INTERESTS FIRST
AND WORKS HARD TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED.
Narrator: BUT THIS FAMILY'S MOM
IS ABOUT TO BE PUT TO THE ULTIMATE TEST.
ONE SPRING MORNING,
CHRIS AND KENDALL ARE AT THE KIDS' SCHOOL
FOR A SPECIAL EVENT.
Chris: THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL, THEY HAVE FIELD DAY,
WHICH IS AN ACTIVITY
WHERE THEY HAVE 3-LEGGED RACES, SACK RACES, SPRINTS.
IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US AS A FAMILY
TO BE THERE AND WATCH THEM.
Kendall: I WAS GONNA TAKE PICTURES OF THEM,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I FELT THIS REALLY BAD ABDOMINAL PAIN.
IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING HAD BEEN JAMMED IN IT.
I WAS REALLY WORRIED,
BUT I DIDN'T WANT THE CHILDREN TO KNOW
THAT I WAS FEELING BAD.
Chris: I COULD TELL SHE HAD SOME KIND OF PAIN.
BUT SHE REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
BECAUSE SHE KNEW IT MEANT A LOT FOR THE KIDS
FOR HER TO BE THERE.
Narrator: THREE DAYS LATER, KENDALL GOES TO SEE HER DOCTOR.
AFTER THE VISIT, SHE CALLS CHRIS WITH SOME ALARMING NEWS.
Chris: I WAS AT WORK, AND KENDALL CALLED ME
TO INFORM ME THAT SHE HAD GALLSTONES.
Narrator: GALLSTONES OCCUR WHEN A DIGESTIVE FLUID CALLED BILE
SOLIDIFIES IN THE GALLBLADDER.
THE STONES CAN GROW TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS
AND OFTEN CAUSE SERIOUS ABDOMINAL PAIN.
THE DOCTOR SAID THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE MY GALLBLADDER REMOVED,
AND IT WAS JUST A SIMPLE PROCEDURE.
I WAS SO RELIEVED, BECAUSE I KNEW
I WOULD NOT HAVE ANY OTHER PAIN ISSUES AGAIN.
I WAS HOPING THAT THIS WOULD BE THE END TO THE PAIN.
Narrator: SO, THREE DAYS LATER,
KENDALL GOES IN FOR SURGERY TO HAVE HER GALLBLADDER REMOVED.
AND IT SEEMS THAT THE OPERATION IS A SUCCESS.
WHEN I HEARD THAT, I WAS RELIEVED.
Narrator: KENDALL RECOVERS WELL.
AND FOR TWO MONTHS, HER LIFE RETURNS TO NORMAL,
UNTIL ONE EVENING IN LATE SUMMER.
Chris: WE WERE HAVING DINNER,
AND KENDALL GOT UP AND WENT TO THE BATHROOM.
BUT AFTER WAITING SEVERAL MINUTES FOR HER TO RETURN,
I BECAME CONCERNED, AND I WENT TO CHECK ON HER.
Kendall: [ CRYING ]
I COULD HEAR HER MOANING IN PAIN,
AND WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR,
SHE WAS LAYING ON THE FLOOR DOUBLED OVER IN PAIN.
[ CRYING ]
IMMEDIATELY, MY HEART DROPPED TO MY STOMACH.
Narrator: CHRIS COBB HAS JUST FOUND HIS WIFE, KENDALL,
DOUBLED OVER IN THE BATHROOM.
Kendall: IT HURT SO BAD IN MY BACK.
I WAS IN SUCH EXCRUCIATING PAIN THAT I JUST COULDN'T EVEN MOVE.
Chris: SEEING HER LAYING THERE ON THE FLOOR DID SCARE ME.
I HAD NEVER SEEN HER EXPERIENCE THAT KIND OF PAIN BEFORE.
Narrator: CHRIS RUSHES KENDALL TO THE E.R.
THERE, DOCTORS TAKE HER VITALS
AND PERFORM AN ABDOMINAL CAT SCAN.
THE RESULTS ARE SURPRISING.
Kendall: THE DOCTOR CAME IN.
HE SAID THAT HE KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG,
AND HE TOLD CHRIS AND I THAT I HAD A KIDNEY STONE.
Narrator: KIDNEY STONES ARE SMALL DEPOSITS
OF MINERAL AND ACID SALTS THAT FORM WITHIN THE KIDNEYS.
THE HARDENED STONES CAN CLOG THE URINARY TRACT,
CAUSING INTENSE PAIN IN THE BACK AND ABDOMEN.
Kendall: I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS.
BUT JUST KNOWING THAT THEY KNEW WHAT IT WAS, WAS GOOD NEWS.
Chris: THE DOCTORS THEN TOLD US THAT THE KIDNEY STONE WAS SMALL
AND SHE WOULD PROBABLY PASS IT WITHIN SEVERAL WEEKS.
THERE WAS A BIG SENSE OF RELIEF
TO KNOW THAT'S WHAT WAS CAUSING THE PAIN.
Narrator: THREE WEEKS LATER,
KENDALL DOES PASS THE KIDNEY STONE.
BUT THE PAIN PERSISTS.
AND OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT THREE YEARS,
KENDALL IS PLAGUED
BY DEBILITATING ABDOMINAL PAIN, NAUSEA, AND DEPRESSION.
I WASN'T ABLE TO DO ROUTINE THINGS --
GO OUT TO DINNER, HELP CARE FOR THE CHILDREN.
I FELT REALLY BAD
I WASN'T GIVING THE CHILDREN MY UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.
BEING A MOM IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS
IN KENDALL'S LIFE,
AND THIS HAD COMPLETELY DISRUPTED THAT.
Narrator: KENDALL SEES COUNTLESS DOCTORS, BUT TO NO AVAIL.
Chris: ALL THE TESTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE,
AND THE DOCTORS WERE DUMBFOUNDED.
AND IT WAS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING.
Narrator: THEN ONE DAY IN LATE AUGUST,
THINGS COME TO A HEAD.
KENDALL HAD DECIDED TO TAKE OUR DAUGHTER,
MARY VIVIAN, BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING.
IT WAS MID-AFTERNOON. I WAS AT WORK.
Narrator: THERE, CHRIS RECEIVES A CALL
FROM HIS WIFE'S CELLPHONE.
Chris: I ANSWERED THE PHONE, EXPECTING TO HEAR KENDALL.
BUT INSTEAD, I HEARD A QUIVERING, SHAKY VOICE
OF MY 7-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER.
SHE WAS EXTREMELY UPSET.
SHE WAS CRYING.
AND SHE SAID, "DADDY, I THINK MOMMY IS DYING."
I HAD NEVER HEARD MY DAUGHTER THAT SCARED.
Kendall: I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN THAT I COULD BARELY SPEAK.
IT WAS ONE OF THE WORST PAINFUL EPISODES THAT I HAD.
I FELT LIKE SOMEONE JUST PUNCHED ME IN THE GUT.
IT WAS EXTREMELY INTENSE.
I JUST GOT REALLY AFRAID.
Chris: I WAS SCARED NOT ONLY FOR KENDALL,
BUT ALSO FOR OUR DAUGHTER FOR HAVING TO EXPERIENCE THIS.
Narrator: CHRIS CALLS 911, AND 10 MINUTES LATER,
EMT's LOAD KENDALL INTO AN AMBULANCE.
CHRIS RUSHES TO MEET THEM IN THE E.R.
Chris: SHE LOOKED EXHAUSTED.
SHE WAS DOUBLED OVER.
IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE PAIN WAS MORE SEVERE
THAN WE HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE.
Narrator: DOCTORS RUN X-RAYS AND BLOOD WORK.
Chris: BUT THE E.R. DOCTORS TOLD US
THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH KENDALL.
I WAS EXTREMELY UPSET.
Narrator: ALL THE DOCTORS CAN DO
IS REFER KENDALL TO YET ANOTHER SPECIALIST.
BUT THIS TIME, THE SPECIALIST UNCOVERS AN IMPORTANT CLUE.
Chris: THE DOCTOR TURNED TO ME AND ASKED
IF HER SKIN COLOR HAD BEEN LIKE THAT
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS.
I TURNED AND LOOKED AT HER AND NOTICED
THAT HER SKIN DID LOOK A LITTLE YELLOW.
HE SAID THAT SHE APPEARED TO BE JAUNDICED.
Narrator: JAUNDICE IS A YELLOWING OF THE SKIN
THAT TYPICALLY RESULTS FROM DYSFUNCTION IN THE LIVER --
A VITAL ORGAN THAT AIDS IN DIGESTION.
JAUNDICE CAN OFTEN BE A SIGN OF HEPATITIS OR LIVER DISEASE,
BOTH OF WHICH CAN BE FATAL.
I WAS REALLY SHOCKED WHEN HE SAID THAT.
ALL KINDS OF THINGS WERE RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND --
CANCER, TUMORS --
WAS SCARY, AND MADE US REALIZE HOW SICK KENDALL REALLY WAS.
Narrator: WHEN THE SPECIALIST ORDERS AN MRI OF KENDALL'S ABDOMEN,
HE NOTICES AN ABNORMALITY ON HER LIVER.
BUT TO FIND OUT WHAT IS CAUSING IT,
KENDALL MUST UNDERGO EXPLORATORY SURGERY.
AT DUKE MEDICAL CENTER IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA,
DR. JEFFREY BASILE AND HIS TEAM PREPARE FOR THE OPERATION.
Dr. Basile: WE THOUGHT SHE WOULD BENEFIT FROM AN ERCP.
IT'S AN INVASIVE PROCEDURE WHERE WE TAKE A SCOPE
WITH A CAMERA AT THE END OF IT
AND WE GAIN ACCESS TO THE BILE DUCT.
Narrator: THE BILE DUCT IS A LONG, TUBE-LIKE STRUCTURE
THAT CARRIES BILE FROM THE LIVER TO THE INTESTINES.
DR. BASILE AND HIS TEAM SEDATE KENDALL
AND BEGIN THE PROCEDURE.
Dr. Basile: THE SCOPE WAS INSERTED THROUGH HER MOUTH
INTO HER ESOPHAGUS, STOMACH, AND EVENTUALLY
INTO THE UPPER PART OF HER SMALL INTESTINES.
Narrator: FROM THERE, DOCTORS GET A VIEW INTO THE DUCTS OF HER LIVER,
WHERE THEY STUMBLE UPON SOMETHING HORRIFIC.
Dr. Basile: WHEN WE SWEPT THE BILE DUCT,
A FLAT, LEAF-LIKE APPEARING OBJECT
APPEARED IN OUR CAMERA VIEW.
THIS OBJECT APPEARED TO BE MOVING.
IT WAS EXTREMELY SHOCKING.
Narrator: KENDALL COBB HAS BEEN SUFFERING FROM A MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS
FOR FOUR PAINFUL YEARS.
BUT DURING AN EXPLORATORY SURGERY,
DOCTORS MAKE A STUNNING DISCOVERY
IN THE DUCTS OF HER LIVER.
Dr. Basile: A FLAT, LEAF-LIKE OBJECT APPEARED TO BE MOVING.
WE USED A SCOPE TO SUCTION IT, SO WE COULD PULL IT OUT.
WE WERE ABLE TO PUT IT IN A JAR AND TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT IT.
Narrator: WITH THE CREATURE IN HAND,
DR. BASILE AND HIS TEAM CAN IDENTIFY IT.
AND WHEN KENDALL WAKES UP FROM SURGERY,
SHE AND CHRIS ARE IN FOR QUITE A SHOCK.
Kendall: HE HAD A JAR IN HIS HAND.
THERE WAS SOMETHING IN IT.
AND HE SAID HE HAD A PARASITE.
Dr. Basile: WE DIAGNOSED KENDALL
WITH A LIVER FLUKE CALLED FASCIOLA HEPATICA.
Narrator: FASCIOLA HEPATICA IS A TYPE OF PARASITIC FLUKE
THAT TARGETS ITS HOST'S BILE DUCTS AND LIVER.
INSIDE KENDALL'S BODY,
THE PARASITES FEED ON LIVER CELLS AND BLOOD,
KILLING TISSUE AND CAUSING EXTREME INFLAMMATION.
THERE, THE PARASITES REPRODUCE UNCHECKED,
LEADING TO HER JAUNDICE, DEBILITATION,
AND THE AGONIZING ABDOMINAL PAINS
THAT HAVE HAUNTED HER FOR FOUR YEARS.
Kendall: I WAS SO SHOCKED.
I JUST FELT SO INVADED.
Chris: I'M SCARED TO DEATH.
NOT ONCE DID WE EVER CONSIDER
THAT THE POSSIBILITY COULD BE A PARASITE.
THE LIVER FLUKE PARASITE IS A FLATWORM
THAT CAN SURVIVE IN THE HUMAN BODY
FOR UP TO 30 YEARS.
ALTHOUGH MANY OF THOSE INFECTED WITH THE DISEASE
DON'T EXHIBIT SYMPTOMS,
THE LIVER FLUKE CAN CAUSE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION
OF THE LIVER AND EVEN LEAD TO THE FORMATION OF GALL STONES.
IN EXTREME CASES,
THE PARASITE CAN CAUSE CANCER OF THE LIVER.
Narrator: BUT KENDALL'S PROGNOSIS
IS EVEN WORSE THAN THIS.
SHE CAN ULTIMATELY DIE FROM SEVERE INFECTION.
IT WAS VERY SCARY.
IT WAS HARD TO IMAGINE OUR FAMILY WITHOUT KENDALL.
SHE'S THE MATRIARCH,
SHE'S THE ONE THAT TAKES CARE OF ALL OF US.
Narrator: TO KILL THE REMAINING FLUKES IN HER LIVER,
DOCTORS PUT KENDALL ON A RIGOROUS COURSE
OF ANTIPARASITIC MEDICATION CALLED NITAZOXANIDE.
BUT SOMETHING STILL HAUNTS HER.
WHERE DID I GET THIS?
THE ONLY PLACE THAT WE'VE BEEN IN THE LAST 14 YEARS
OUT OF THE UNITED STATES IS THE BAHAMAS.
Narrator: WHILE LIVER FLUKES ARE PRESENT IN THE CARIBBEAN,
THEY CAN ALSO BE FOUND MUCH CLOSER TO HOME.
Riskin: THOUGH IT'S MOST COMMON IN ASIA AND EASTERN EUROPE,
THE LIVER FLUKE IS FOUND IN OVER 50 COUNTRIES,
INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES,
AND AFFECTS AS MANY AS 35 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE.
IN FRESHWATER, THE LIVER FLUKE EGG HATCHES INTO A LARVA
THAT THEN PENETRATES A SNAIL WHERE IT FEEDS AND GROWS.
AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS, IT LEAVES THE SNAIL
AND ATTACHES ITSELF TO A PIECE OF VEGETATION
AND FORMS A CYST.
THE PARASITE ENTERS ITS NEXT HOST
WHEN A MAMMAL, SUCH AS A SHEEP,
EATS THE CONTAMINATED VEGETATION.
INSIDE THE MAMMAL, THE FLUKE BURROWS THROUGH THE INTESTINE
AND INTO THE LIVER, WHERE IT LAYS ITS EGGS.
THE EGGS PASS IN THE MAMMAL'S EXCREMENT
AND INTO FRESHWATER, WHERE THE LIFE CYCLE CONTINUES.
Narrator: WHILE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE CERTAIN
WHERE KENDALL GOT THE PARASITE,
THERE IS ONE PLANT IN PARTICULAR
THAT IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH LIVER-FLUKE INFECTIONS.
Riskin: THE MOST COMMON WAY
IN WHICH PEOPLE BECOME INFECTED WITH LIVER FLUKES
IS FROM EATING CONTAMINATED RAW WATERCRESS.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH THE PARASITE IS KNOWN TO BE PRESENT IN THE U.S.,
IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE TO CONTRACT THE PARASITE
FROM EATING CONTAMINATED IMPORTED PRODUCE.
AFTER THREE MONTHS, THE ANTIPARASITIC MEDICATION
RIDS KENDALL'S LIVER OF THE INFECTION.
AND TODAY,
THE COBBS' FAMILY LIFE HAS RETURNED TO NORMAL.
I'M BACK TO BEING THE KIND OF MOM THAT I WANT TO BE.
Chris: SINCE THE PROCEDURE AND HER RECOVERY,
SHE HASN'T MISSED A SINGLE FUNCTION
FOR EITHER OF THE CHILDREN.
SHE'S BACK TO BEING THE MOM THAT SHE WANTS TO BE
AND THE MOM THAT WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE.
Riskin: THERE ARE NO VACCINES AGAINST LIVER FLUKE.
THE BEST WAY TO AVOID CONTRACTING LIVER FLUKES
IS BY MAKING SURE
VEGETABLES ARE THOROUGHLY WASHED AND COOKED,
PARTICULARLY WHEN TRAVELING ABROAD
IN LOCATIONS WITH POOR SANITARY CONDITIONS.
HE WAS CRYING OUT,
"IT HURTS, MOMMY. EVERYTHING HURTS."
HE WAS HITTING HIMSELF AND SCREAMING.
HE ABSOLUTELY LOST IT.
Narrator: DAVE HART AND ANNE GORE
LIVE AMIDST THE SPECTACULAR NATURAL SURROUNDINGS
OF ALASKA'S LARGEST CITY, ANCHORAGE.
DAVE IS AN ENGINEER FOR AN OIL COMPANY.
AND ANNE WORKS IN PUBLIC HEALTH.
PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT DAVE DOES,
AND I SAY, "HE IS AN ENGINEER BY DAY,
BUT BY NIGHT, HIS REAL PASSION IS CLIMBING."
I LIKE GETTING AWAY FROM THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE
OF EVERYDAY LIFE.
I LIKE TO PUSH MYSELF MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY.
Narrator: BUT THEIR TRUE PASSION IS FOR THEIR TWO SONS --
3-YEAR-OLD LUCA AND 5-YEAR-OLD TATE.
Anne: LUCA IS CHARMING AND HE'S A FUNNY KID, TOO.
TATE SPOKE AT A VERY EARLY AGE,
SO WE ALWAYS KNEW THAT HE WAS A BRIGHT KID.
I LOOK FORWARD TO TEACHING THEM THE SAME SORT OF SKILLS
THAT I'VE GOT OUT OF CLIMBING FROM ACTIVITIES LIKE CAMPING
AND HIKING AND SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS.
Narrator: BUT DAVE'S HOPES FOR HIS CHILDREN'S FUTURE
ARE ABOUT TO BE SHATTERED.
IT'S A SCHOOL DAY IN OCTOBER,
AND THEIR YOUNGEST SON, LUCA, IS RECOVERING FROM AN INFECTION.
Dave: LUCA WAS HOME FROM SCHOOL WITH PINK EYE.
AND THEN, TATE CAME DOWN FROM UPSTAIRS, FROM HIS BEDROOM,
AND JUST DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT.
HE HAD A NASAL TONE TO HIS VOICE.
AND I THOUGHT, "WELL, THAT'S WEIRD."
Anne: TATE SAID THAT HE FELT SICK.
I FIGURED HIS BROTHER HAD STAYED HOME FROM SCHOOL,
AND I THOUGHT HE PROBABLY WANTED
TO STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL AS WELL.
Dave: BUT HE HASN'T BEEN ONE TO MAKE UP ILLNESSES
TO STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL.
Narrator: TATE AND LUCA SPEND THE DAY AT HOME RECUPERATING.
THE NEXT MORNING,
ANNE TAKES THE BOYS TO THEIR PEDIATRICIAN.
Anne: AND I EXPLAINED WHAT WAS GOING ON.
SHE GAVE ME A LOOK.
SHE SAID, "I THINK WE SHOULD RULE OUT FLU
BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER."
Narrator: LUCA'S FLU TEST IS NEGATIVE, BUT TATE TESTS POSITIVE.
Anne: THE RESULTS WERE A SURPRISE TO ME.
I REALLY THOUGHT THAT TATE WAS TRYING
TO STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL WITH HIS BROTHER.
Narrator: THE DOCTOR PRESCRIBES TATE AN ANTIVIRAL MEDICATION.
AND ANNE TAKES THE BOYS HOME.
BUT THAT EVENING, DAVE NOTICES SOMETHING UNUSUAL.
Dave: I WALKED IN FROM WORK, AND I SAW TATE ON THE COUCH.
HE WAS JUST BREATHING VERY QUICKLY.
AND YOU COULD TELL JUST STRUGGLING TO CATCH A BREATH.
DAVE CALLED ME OVER AND JUST SAID, "SOMETHING IS WRONG."
I COULD SEE, IN FACT, THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT.
HIS BREATHING HAD BECOME MORE LABORED
AND IT WAS FASTER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
I STARTED TO GET REALLY SCARED.
Narrator: ANNE AND DAVE TAKE TATE TO THE HOSPITAL.
Anne: HE WAS IMMEDIATELY PUT ON TO THE MONITORING EQUIPMENT.
AND THEN, THEY DISCOVERED THAT TATE'S OXYGEN LEVEL WAS LOW.
Narrator: DOCTORS PLACE AN OXYGEN MASK OVER HIS MOUTH.
BUT I JUST REMEMBER SEEING HIM RIP IT OFF.
Anne: DON'T DO THAT!
I WAS JUST TRYING TO REASSURE HIM THAT IT IS HELPING HIM,
IT'S NOT SUFFOCATING HIM.
Narrator: WITH TATE STRUGGLING FOR EVERY BREATH,
DOCTORS X-RAY THE BOY'S CHEST.
THE CHEST X-RAY SHOWED TWO TYPES OF PNEUMONIA --
BOTH A VIRAL AND BACTERIAL.
Narrator: PNEUMONIA IS AN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE
TO AN INFECTION DEEP IN THE LUNGS.
IT CAN STRIKE SUDDENLY,
FILLING THE LUNG'S AIR PASSAGES WITH FLUID
AND STARVING THE BODY OF OXYGEN.
Dave: IT WAS A SEVERE CASE, AND EVEN MORE CONCERNING
WAS THE SPEED AT WHICH IT WAS PROGRESSING.
IT WAS A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION.
Narrator: DOCTORS TREAT THE BACTERIAL INFECTION
WITH ANTIBIOTICS,
BUT THERE IS NO SPECIFIC DRUG AVAILABLE
THAT CAN COMBAT AN EXTREME FLU-VIRUS INFECTION LIKE TATE'S.
WE WERE JUST HOPING THAT HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM WOULD KICK IN.
Narrator: FOR THREE DAYS, THE FAMILY WAITS BY TATE'S SIDE.
THEN, ON THE FOURTH DAY, DOCTORS ORDER MORE X-RAYS
THAT REVEAL SOME ENCOURAGING RESULTS.
Dave: HIS PNEUMONIA WAS IMPROVING.
Anne: THAT WAS GREAT NEWS
BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE WE HAD FINALLY TURNED A CORNER.
Narrator: TATE'S IMMUNE SYSTEM CLEARS HIS FLU INFECTION.
BUT LATER THAT DAY, DAVE PICKS UP ON SOMETHING ODD.
Dave: TATE SAID TO ME THAT HIS LEGS WERE STARTING TO HURT.
SO, I ASKED THE STAFF WHAT THAT MIGHT BE.
AND THEY REASSURED ME THAT THAT'S JUST ONE
OF THE SYMPTOMS OF RECOVERING FROM FLU.
Narrator: DESPITE TATE'S LINGERING PAIN, DOCTORS DISCHARGE HIM.
BUT TWO NIGHTS LATER,
ANNE AND DAVE ARE WOKEN BY SOMETHING ALARMING.
I WOKE UP AND I HEARD TATE JUST CRYING IN PAIN.
Tate: [ CRYING ]
Anne: I WENT DOWNSTAIRS.
HE WAS THRASHING AROUND AND CRYING OUT,
"IT HURTS, MOMMY. EVERYTHING HURTS."
[ CRYING ]
AND HE ABSOLUTELY LOST IT.
IT WAS REALLY FRIGHTENING.
Narrator: IN ALASKA, ANNE GORE AND DAVE HART
WAKE TO FIND THEIR SON WRITHING IN PAIN.
Dave: HE WAS HITTING HIMSELF AND SCREAMING.
TERRIBLE TO SEE YOUR KID IN THAT MUCH PAIN
AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
Narrator: ANNE AND DAVE RUSH TATE BACK TO THE HOSPITAL.
THERE, A NURSE TAKES THE BOY INTO THE E.R.
AND GIVES HIM PAIN MEDICATION.
BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH.
DOCTORS THEN ADMINISTER MORPHINE,
WHICH DOES QUELL HIS PAIN.
BUT IN SPITE OF THIS,
TATE'S CONDITION CONTINUES TO DETERIORATE.
Dave: TATE'S ABILITY TO MOVE WAS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE.
AND AT THAT POINT, HE HIT A LOW AND COULDN'T WALK.
HIS ARMS STILL WORKED,
BUT THERE WAS NO OTHER ABILITY TO MOVE BEYOND THAT.
WE HAD A CHILD WHO WAS PARALYZED.
Anne: ONE OF THE PHYSICIANS IN THE I.C.U.
SAID THAT WE REALLY NEEDED TO PREPARE FOR THE WORST.
Dave: A LITTLE BIT SHOCKING TO KNOW
THAT THEY WERE DOING ALL THEY CAN.
YOU THINK WITH MODERN MEDICINE THEY CAN JUST SOLVE ANYTHING,
BUT THEY CAN'T.
[ SIGHS ]
Narrator: WITH THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT,
DOCTORS LOOK INTO OTHER POSSIBLE CAUSES
OF TATE'S BIZARRE CONDITION.
Anne: THE DOCTORS STARTED TO THINK
THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING NEUROLOGICAL STARTING TO HAPPEN,
WHICH WAS FRIGHTENING FOR US.
Narrator: NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS
CAN AFFECT THE BRAIN, SPINAL CORD, AND NERVES.
THEY CAN BE CAUSED BY GENETIC ABNORMALITIES, TUMORS,
AS WELL AS A WIDE RANGE OF INFECTIONS.
A PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGIST REVIEWS THE CASE
AND IMMEDIATELY ORDERS A SPINAL TAP.
AND THE NEXT DAY, THE SPINAL TAP RESULTS COME IN.
Anne: WHEN WE WENT IN TO MEET WITH THE PEDIATRIC NEUROLOGIST,
IT WAS OF HIS PROFESSIONAL OPINION
THAT TATE HAD A NEUROLOGIC CONDITION
CALLED GUILLAIN-BARRé SYNDROME.
Narrator: GUILLAIN-BARRé SYNDROME IS AN AUTOIMMUNE CONDITION
IN WHICH THE BODY'S OWN WHITE BLOOD CELLS
ACTUALLY ATTACK THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.
INSIDE TATE'S BODY,
ROGUE WHITE BLOOD CELLS ATTACK THE LINING OF THE BLOOD VESSELS.
THE ROGUE CELLS THEN TARGET TATE'S NERVES,
DESTROYING THE PROTECTIVE COVER THAT SURROUNDS THEM.
THE RESULT IS INFLAMMATION AND TATE'S MUSCLE PARALYSIS.
IF THE RENEGADE IMMUNE CELLS REACH THE BODY'S VITAL ORGANS,
THE CONDITION CAN BE FATAL.
Anne: TATE'S BODY WAS ATTACKING ITSELF.
MY OWN MIND WENT FROM HAVING A FAMILY OF HEALTHY BOYS
TO NOT HAVING A FAMILY OF HEALTHY BOYS.
[ SIGHS ] ALL RIGHT.
[ SIGHS ]
THAT WAS HARD.
Narrator: BUT THE DOCTORS HAVE EVEN WORSE NEWS.
Anne: THERE ISN'T AN ANTIBIOTIC.
THERE ISN'T A COURSE OF TREATMENT
TO HALT WHAT'S HAPPENING OR TO PREVENT IT.
THAT WAS VERY HARD NEWS TO HEAR --
THAT THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING.
Narrator: 5-YEAR-OLD TATE HART IS IN THE I.C.U.
BATTLING THE CRIPPLING AND INCURABLE
GUILLAIN-BARRé SYNDROME.
THERE ISN'T AN ANTIBIOTIC.
THERE ISN'T A COURSE OF TREATMENT.
EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES,
AS MANY AS 9,000 PEOPLE DEVELOP GUILLAIN-BARRé SYNDROME.
AND IN AROUND 30% OF CASES,
SUFFERERS NEVER FULLY REGAIN THE LEVEL OF MUSCLE STRENGTH
THEY HAD PRIOR TO ACQUIRING THE CONDITION.
Narrator: IN EXTREME CASES,
THE CONDITION CAN LAST FOR YEARS
AND CAN CAUSE PERMANENT PARALYSIS.
Dave: I THINK PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS IMPORTANT.
TATE NOT BEING ABLE TO PURSUE THOSE ACTIVITIES
IN THE FUTURE WAS HARD.
Narrator: UNSURE OF HOW SEVERE HIS CASE WILL BE,
DOCTORS TREAT HIS SYMPTOMS WITH PAINKILLERS
AND TRANSITION HIM TO HOME CARE.
Anne: DAVE WAS PUSHING HIM IN THE WHEELCHAIR.
I REMEMBER THINKING... "IS THIS OUR NEW NORMAL?"
Narrator: FOR TWO MONTHS,
TATE UNDERGOES INTENSE PHYSICAL THERAPY
TO HELP RESTIMULATE HIS DAMAGED NERVES.
AND THEN ONE DAY, ANNE SEES A RAY OF HOPE.
ONE DAY IN THERAPY, TATE WAS ABLE TO HOLD ON TO...
[ Voice breaking ] ...TO HOLD ON TO A BAR AND PULL HIMSELF UP.
THAT WAS PRETTY AWESOME.
Narrator: TODAY,
TATE HART HAS WORKED AGAINST HIS GUILLAIN-BARRé SYNDROME
AND HAS REGAINED SOME MUSCLE STRENGTH.
HE EVEN HAS A NEW PASTIME.
NOW THAT I FEEL BETTER, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO
IS TO GO RIDING MY BIKE WITH MY FRIENDS.
Narrator: BUT WHAT CAUSED TATE'S IMMUNE SYSTEM
TO ATTACK HIS OWN BODY?
IT ISN'T KNOWN WHAT EXACTLY CAUSES GUILLAIN-BARRé SYNDROME.
HOWEVER, IN ABOUT 60% OF CASES IN THE U.S.,
ONSET OF THE DISORDER
IS PRECEDED BY AN INFECTION SUCH AS THE FLU.
EXPERTS SUSPECT THAT SOME VIRUSES
CAN DISRUPT THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND CAN CAUSE IT
TO ATTACK THE BODY'S OWN NERVOUS SYSTEM.
THIS CAN CAUSE PAIN, PARALYSIS, AND EVEN DEATH.
Narrator: IN TATE'S CASE,
HIS GUILLAIN-BARRé SYNDROME ATTACK
WAS LIKELY PROMPTED BY THE FLU VIRUS,
AND SUBSEQUENT INFECTIONS COULD STILL TRIGGER A RELAPSE.
IT WAS SURPRISING TO ME THAT THE FLU COULD DO THIS.
Dave: AND SO, WE CANNOT VACCINATE TATE FROM THE FLU ANYMORE.
SO, EVERY FLU SEASON, IT'S -- IT'S A RATHER SCARY TIME.
BUT TATE'S DOING GREAT NOW. HE'S JUST A NORMAL KID.
Anne: WE ARE SKIING, WE'RE BIKING,
AND TATE'S RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS