A trucker is lucky to be alive after being struck down by a rare disease that doctors initially thought could have been a stroke or cancer.
Brendan O’Reilly, 30, suffered from balance issues at work before his condition deteriorated and he was sent to hospital in Ipswich, Queensland.
His condition worsened, prompting medics to rush him to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba, Brisbane.
Mr. O’Reilly lost function of his hands and began to articulate his words.
Doctors were initially confused by his symptoms before finally diagnosing him with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in February.
Now he is expected to make a full slow recovery over the next two months as he regains movement, but doctors say he will not be able to drive for the next two years.
Brendan O’Reilly, 30, was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) after undergoing a brain biopsy in February
ADEM only affects one in 250,000 people and now his brother, Dan O’Reilly, has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for what should be a full recovery
The father-of-two is learning to walk again after spending weeks paralyzed and months in intensive care.
ADEM is a very rare disease that affects one in 250,000 people.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, ADEM inflames the brain and spinal cord, which damages the lining of nerve fibers, causing paralysis.
Mr. O’Reilly’s brother, Dan, has set up a GoFundMe to support Brendan’s children as he continues to recover and regain his movement.
After Mr O’Reilly was diagnosed with ADEM, his mother Marie, 64, said some doctors were unsure what it was.
‘Brendan was admitted on January 31 and by day three and four he was losing functionality in his hands, couldn’t sit up and his words were starting to get confused into sentences,’ Ms O’Reilly told Daily Mail Australia .
“The doctors were sending the results to Princess Alexandra Hospital and we were scared because Brendan was scared they were telling him it could be cancer, a brain tumor or multiple sclerosis.
“The second week in hospital he was deteriorating rapidly – looking you straight in the eye, couldn’t turn his head and was completely paralyzed on his left side.
“We received a diagnosis after three weeks that Brendan has ADEM.”
Mr O’Reilly was just days away from his 30th birthday when he first went into hospital, and now his family are trying to navigate the unpredictable path ahead.
“Brendan had three to five days of plasma exchange, which brought his speech back remarkably,” Ms O’Reilly said.
“The movement came back to his left shoulder and arm and his leg took the longest to come back.
“We now have Brendan up and learning to walk again.
“This disease came so quickly out of nowhere and completely changed his life.”
Brendan is due out of hospital on July 11 and his family are now trying to raise money for the extended treatment while supporting their seven-year-old son and three-year-old daughter.
Brendan was rushed to hospital days before his 30th birthday after struggling to stay balanced at work on January 31
Mr O’Reilly underwent a brain biopsy at Princess Alexandria Hospital in Ipswich, QLD, where doctors first thought he might have had a stroke or developed cancer.
Her brother Dan has started a fundraiser that he hopes will reach $30,000 in donations to ease the growing burden of medical bills.
“Brendan has been hospitalized and unable to work to support his young children, while Brendan is slowly progressing with his physiotherapy and will be on the mend for months to come,” he wrote.
“As a family we are asking if anyone has anything available to give Brendan as he will not be able to return to work or drive a car for the foreseeable future when he is finally cleared from hospital.”
So far $12,297 has been raised and local rugby league club Ipswich also held a raffle to help raise funds.
Although the cause of Mr O’Reilly’s condition is unclear, symptoms can occur soon after a viral or bacterial infection, although people have also been known to develop ADEM without a pre-existing infection.
Most people diagnosed with ADEM begin to recover immediately after starting treatment, with full recovery usually occurring within six months.
Most patients can recover without permanent damage to their nerves or spinal cord.