Houston teen dies from brain-eating amoeba illness, The teenager who fell ill after a swimming outing earlier this month with his high school track teammates has died.
The family of Michael John Riley Jr. announced that the 14-year-old died after contracting a lethal disease caused by a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in the warm waters at Sam Houston State Park.
"It is with a heavy heart that we tell you, Michael John Riley Jr. lost his battle on this earth but won a victory for his place in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ," according to the family's Facebook post. "Michael fought a courageous fight over the past week, allowing him to move on to be with the Lord for future heavenly tasks, a beautiful set of wings, and a pair of gold running shoes."
The family vows to honor Riley's legacy by supporting scientific efforts to better understand primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (or PAM, as it's better known) along with an awareness campaign to prevent others from contracting the disease.
PAM is caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba which flourishes in warm water. Children who play in freshwater lakes or rivers are typically the most commonly affected.They get water up their nose with those organisms in there," Dr. Luis Ostrosky, medical director of epidemiology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and UT Health, told the Houston Chronicle last week. "They start invading the nasal tissues. They basically go all the way to the brain and you get a brain infection."
The amoeba, which normally feeds on bacteria, begins to multiply which causes the brain to swell. Victims usually die within seven to 10 days.
One of the difficulties of treating PAM is that it is rare. During the past five decades, there haven't been more than eight cases a year in the United States.However, Texas Children's treated another patient for PAM three week before it treated Riley. That patient did not survive either.
Riley got sick a few days after swimming in a freshwater lake at Sam Houston State Park with his new Cy-Ridge High School track team on Aug. 13. He was an incoming freshman.
At first, doctors didn't know what was wrong with the accomplished long-distance runner. His headaches, however, continued to worsen and, a few days later, became unbearable. His neck was painfully stiff and he became disoriented.
But a physician at Texas Children's Hospital-West Campus recognized the symptoms from another case he had seen and Riley was transferred to the Texas Medical Center. A 2013 case from Arkansas gave the Riley family hope as well as a guide to treatment methods because that patient, who had contracted the disease from a water park, was one of only two U.S. survivors.
Doctors put Riley in an induced coma and monitored his brain activity.
But Saturday night, the test results weren't good, according to the family's Facebook post.
"Family and friends from all over the world have shown tremendous support both in presence and from far distances," according to the family. "Our family continues to find comfort in your prayers and love, please keep them coming. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for your outpouring of love."
Funeral services will be announced later, according to the family.
The family of Michael John Riley Jr. announced that the 14-year-old died after contracting a lethal disease caused by a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in the warm waters at Sam Houston State Park.
"It is with a heavy heart that we tell you, Michael John Riley Jr. lost his battle on this earth but won a victory for his place in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ," according to the family's Facebook post. "Michael fought a courageous fight over the past week, allowing him to move on to be with the Lord for future heavenly tasks, a beautiful set of wings, and a pair of gold running shoes."
The family vows to honor Riley's legacy by supporting scientific efforts to better understand primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (or PAM, as it's better known) along with an awareness campaign to prevent others from contracting the disease.
PAM is caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba which flourishes in warm water. Children who play in freshwater lakes or rivers are typically the most commonly affected.They get water up their nose with those organisms in there," Dr. Luis Ostrosky, medical director of epidemiology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and UT Health, told the Houston Chronicle last week. "They start invading the nasal tissues. They basically go all the way to the brain and you get a brain infection."
The amoeba, which normally feeds on bacteria, begins to multiply which causes the brain to swell. Victims usually die within seven to 10 days.
One of the difficulties of treating PAM is that it is rare. During the past five decades, there haven't been more than eight cases a year in the United States.However, Texas Children's treated another patient for PAM three week before it treated Riley. That patient did not survive either.
Riley got sick a few days after swimming in a freshwater lake at Sam Houston State Park with his new Cy-Ridge High School track team on Aug. 13. He was an incoming freshman.
At first, doctors didn't know what was wrong with the accomplished long-distance runner. His headaches, however, continued to worsen and, a few days later, became unbearable. His neck was painfully stiff and he became disoriented.
But a physician at Texas Children's Hospital-West Campus recognized the symptoms from another case he had seen and Riley was transferred to the Texas Medical Center. A 2013 case from Arkansas gave the Riley family hope as well as a guide to treatment methods because that patient, who had contracted the disease from a water park, was one of only two U.S. survivors.
Doctors put Riley in an induced coma and monitored his brain activity.
But Saturday night, the test results weren't good, according to the family's Facebook post.
"Family and friends from all over the world have shown tremendous support both in presence and from far distances," according to the family. "Our family continues to find comfort in your prayers and love, please keep them coming. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for your outpouring of love."
Funeral services will be announced later, according to the family.
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