According to KWTX-TV, a 10-year-old girl died Monday after contracting an amoeba that eats the brain for a weekend of swimming.
Lily Avant was swimming in the Brazos River – near her home in Whitney, Texas – on Labor Day weekend, when she probably contracted an amoeba. She began to suffer from symptoms, such as fever and headaches, a few days later, according to a Facebook post by her cousin, Wendy Scott.
"I need my prayer warriors now! My little cousin is in intensive care and does not respond," reads the article in 10 September. "She just sent me this photo Saturday and some selfies that she took on my phone a few days ago, things are changing so quickly."
Originally, doctors treated Lily against a viral infection, but after worsening her condition, she was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. A spinal cord puncture confirmed that she had contracted Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba with a 97% mortality rate.
As her condition worsened, Lily was plunged into a coma by a doctor to reduce brain swelling. Patients who contract the amoeba usually die within five days of the onset of symptoms, but since Lily managed to survive longer, her family remained optimistic.
"We hope to have it on time," KXAS-TV said Friday to John Crawson, Lily's father. "She is a fighter, she is stronger than anyone I know."
Unfortunately, the 10-year-old girl died Monday morning in her hospital room early in the morning. Only four people who have contracted amoeba in the United States since 1962 have survived.
Naegleria fowleri is extremely rare in the United States, with only 34 cases reported in the last 10 years. The amoeba is commonly found in natural environments such as lakes and streams. However, it has also been discovered in pools and tap water. The scarcity of circumstances has not been lost for Lily's family.
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Cerebral Amoeba – Naegleria fowleri
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This photomicrograph of a brain tissue specimen describes the cytoarchitectural changes associated with amoeba infection, Naegleria fowleri, alive. When free-living amoebae infect the brain or spinal cord, this is called primitive amoebic man
This photomicrograph of a brain tissue specimen describes the cytoarchitectural changes associated with amoeba infection, Naegleria fowleri, alive. When free-living amoebae infect the brain or spinal cord, this is called primitive amoebic man
With a 630X magnification and using a Direct Fluorescent Antibody (DFA) staining technique, this photomicrograph describes the histopathological features associated with a case of amoeba meningoencephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri parasites. Naegleria fowleri infects people when the water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose. This usually happens when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places like lakes and rivers. The ameba of Naegleria fowleri then moves from the nose to the brain where it destroys the brain tissue. Image courtesy of CDC / Dr. Visvesvara, 1980. (Photo by Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images).
This photomicrograph of a brain tissue specimen shows cytoarchitectural changes associated with autonomic amoebic infection, possibly caused by Naegleria fowleri or Acanthamoeba sp. Naegleria fowleri causes an acute, generally fatal central nervous system (CNS) disease called amoebic primitive meingoencephalitis (PAM). Trophozoites infect humans or animals by entering the olfactory neuroepithelium and reaching the brain. Trophozoites of N. fowleri are found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and tissues, while flagellated forms are occasionally found in the CSF. Image courtesy of CDC / Dr. Martin D. Hicklin, 1964. (Photo by Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images).
This photomicrograph of a brain tissue specimen shows cytoarchitectural changes associated with autonomic amoebic infection, possibly caused by Naegleria fowleri or Acanthamoeba sp. Naegleria fowleri causes an acute, generally fatal central nervous system (CNS) disease called amoebic primitive meingoencephalitis (PAM). Trophozoites infect humans or animals by entering the olfactory neuroepithelium and reaching the brain. Trophozoites of N. fowleri are found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and tissues, while flagellated forms are occasionally found in the CSF. Image courtesy of CDC / Dr. Martin D. Hicklin, 1964. (Photo by Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images).
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"It's the worst nightmare of any parent," said Lily's aunt, Crystal Warren, at KWTX-TV on Friday. "For this to happen to him when there were so many other people in the same waters on the same days – we just do not understand why it was her."
The community rallied around Lily during her fight, a Facebook page #LilyStrong having won more than 21,000 members over the past week. The page was flooded with messages – over 600 – with members sharing Lily's thoughts, prayers, videos and photos.
"This is an exceptional girl and we are all devastated, but we also have a lot of hope," said Chris Dowdy, principal of Lily's school, at KWTX before her passing. "We are behind you and we were there for you and we look forward to bringing Lily back to this campus."
"We are firm in our faith and in the lives that it has touched," Scott told WFAA-TV.
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