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West Nile Virus survivor ‘I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy’

Posted at 10:52 PM, Aug 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-15 22:52:39-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich -  The Kent County Health Department is warning of a potentially serious outbreak of the West Nile virus this season.

One West Michigan mother who survived the virus tells FOX 17 it was an experience she would wish  on anyone.

“I remember,  I was mowing my front yard when it happened, and it was on my right ankle," said Heather Ibrahim, one of the first people in Kent County to contract West Nile.

She was diagnosed in 2002.

“West Nile hadn’t even come to Michigan at that point really, so nobody really knew about it ” she said.

After the mosquito bite, Heather started feeling sick and went to the doctor. She and her mom were heading out to Oregon to visit her sister in a few days, so she wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything serious.

Doctors said it was nothing to be concerned about and she’d be fine to travel, but once Heather arrived in Oregon, things got worse. The last thing she remembers is opening the care package her sister prepared for the trip home to Michigan. While still in Oregon, she slipped into a coma.

Heather lost three weeks' memory. “It’s very strange to talk to somebody about something that’s about you but that you don’t remember.”

Heather had developed encephalitis and meningitis. She spent five weeks in the hospital in Oregon and another two weeks at Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids.

“I don’t remember my 30th birthday."

Recovery was hard. “I had to learn how to walk, learn how to swallow, do everything basically all over again.”

Today, Heather is glad she doesn’t have many lasting effects from West Nile, but she added that during high mosquito season, you can never be too cautious.

This year, the Kent County Health Department warns that the number of mosquitoes detected carrying West Nile virus is four times higher than normal.

“I would just suggest that people wear bug spray, given that those numbers are so high," Heather said. "I mean, it’s not fun, it doesn’t smell good, and it doesn’t feel good on your skin, but it’s worth it if you don’t have to go through what I did.”

The Centers for Disease Control recommends wearing long sleeves and pants when outside and using bug spray with DEET to protect yourself from mosquito bites.